If your New Year's resolution involves kicking a tobacco habit, don't go it alone, says a spokeswoman for the South Dakota Department of Health.

Barb Buhler, information officer for the state Department of Health said research shows counseling combined with medication is the most effective way to quit tobacco use, whether it is cigarettes or smokeless tobacco.

"That's why the QuitLine has combined coaching and product since its launch back in 2002," she said.

As of Jan. 1, 2008, Chantix, a nonnicotine prescription medicine developed to help people quit smoking, is available to those using QuitLine.

Gail Gray, director of the division of health and medical services within the state Department of Health, said Chantix is almost twice the price of other tobacco cessation prescriptions, but it also can be more effective for people who have attempted to quit more than once.

"We've had more and more doctors who have asked (QuitLine) to include it, because it's so much more effective for some people," she said.

QuitLine now offers participants three chances to use the service to quit using tobacco.

Gray said when QuitLine began, callers were only allowed one chance to go through the program. That later changed to two chances, but now callers have three chances.

"We know this is a chronic condition, and people a lot of times don't make it the first time," she said.

South Dakota's QuitLine can be reached at 1-866-SD-Quits. It is a free service that assists people in quitting tobacco use.

Buhler said those who attempt to quit smoking without some type of counseling only have a 5 percent chance of success. Those who use QuitLine have a 25 percent chance of success.

"The counseling part of it really does work," she said. "It basically doubles your chances of being able to quit."

Buhler said a "quit" is considered successful once 12 months have passed without tobacco use.

Gray said QuitLine received 3,552 calls from January through November 2007.

Gray said calls went up in July when Initiative Measure 2, passed by voters in November 2006, put $5 million into the QuitLine program.

"The amount of money available for cessation went up substantially," she said.

The process

Gray said when someone calls QuitLine, they are assigned a quit coach who helps the caller develop a plan for quitting either smoking or smokeless tobacco.

The coach and caller establish times to keep in touch, and the caller can obtain free tobacco-cessation products: patches, gum or prescriptions.

"The individual makes the decision of whether to use a product and what product to use," Gray said. "The coach gives them pros and cons of everything."

Gray said people must participate fully in QuitLine in order to receive the free tobacco-cessation tools. All prescriptions must be written by the caller's physician.

"We hope that it will help more people who want to start their new year tobacco free," Gray said.

Gray said there is no set amount of time for someone to quit using tobacco.

"It varies tremendously," she said.

Gray said she thinks more bars and restaurants have banned smoking in the past year. There are several smoke-free bars and restaurants in Rapid City.

"I think if more and more people want to be in a smoke free environment, the pressure will be there for the people who are providing a service to people to provide a smoke-free environment," she said.

Smoke free

Dennis Halterman of Rapid City is one person who wants to socialize with friends in a smoke-free environment.

Halterman, who owns the downtown hair salon The Factory, Inc., said he has heard a lot of people commenting they like the bars whose owners have chosen to be smoke-free.

"I've heard a lot of good about it," he said. "I think it's becoming a trend worldwide."

He said he favors nonsmoking bars and restaurants and almost always chooses them over those that allow smoking.

"I very much appreciate it," he said. "To be able to go in there and not have any smoke around you is so nice."

Halterman said nonsmoking businesses attract customers.

"I think you open up a niche for clientele that's not being tapped into, because they won't go out and socialize, because they don't want to smell like smoke," he said.

He said he thinks smoking is culturally becoming less accepted.

"I think our mindset has quickly changed from saying 'smoking is just something we do,' to having the last place smoking is accepted be the bar," he said.

Ray Graff, owner of Dublin Square, a mostly nonsmoking bar in downtown Rapid City, said it was a personal decision to open a nonsmoking business.

"I don't smoke, and none of my family smokes, and I thought there was an avenue there for some business nobody else had even looked at," Graff said.

Graff offers smokers a small room away from the rest of the business where they are allowed to light up.

Dublin Square opened in its new location on Main Street in March 2007. Before that, the bar had been in the Radisson hotel since January 2006.

Graff said he ran into obstacles when he first set out to open a nonsmoking bar in Rapid City.

"On several levels, we were told it was not a viable option," he said. "We were even turned down on financing by a couple of lenders because they thought a nonsmoking bar would not be a viable business."

But Graff said those lenders were wrong. Graff said not allowing smoking has not hurt business at all.

"People compliment us on it more than anything," he said.

Gray said the adult smoking rate is down in South Dakota to 20.3 percent of adults smoking in 2007 from 27.2 percent in 1998.

"We're making progress, but it's very difficult," she said.

She said the focus is on young people, ages 18-24, who are more likely to smoke than other age groups.

Gray said QuitLine results show it has not been as effective for young smokers.

"We're looking at other methods for them," she said.

Contact Katie Brown at 394-8318 or katie.brown@rapidcityjournal.com

Smoke-free bars and restaurants in Rapid City

Botticelli's Ristorante

Dublin Square

The Corn Exchange

Firehouse Brewing Company

Enigma Restaurant

Piesano's Pacchia

Pirate's Table

Sanford's

Thirsty's

The Wine Cellar

Source: South Dakota Department of Health and Human Services

Quitting tips from the South Dakota Department of Health

*List your reasons for quitting. Keep them in mind to make it through tough times.

* Build a "quit team" consisting of your friends, family, doctor and dentist. Let them know you're quitting and when they can support you.

* Set a "quit date." Mark a date on your calendar no more than two weeks from when you decide you're ready.

* Notice when and where you use tobacco. Plan other things to do at those times.

* Don't give into cravings. They usually only last for three to five minutes.

* South Dakota QuitLine: 1-866-SD-Quits

Smoking in bars

State House Republican leader Larry Rhoden, R-Union Center, said, although he has not heard anything official, he expects to see the 2008 legislative session address the issue of smoking in bars and restaurants.

"I've not seen any legislation or talked personally with any legislators who seem to have a bill in their back pocket about it," he said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if we see it."

He said the one piece of legislation that would be brought up concerning smoking would be a bill proposed to allow each city to decide whether to ban smoking in businesses.

"I wouldn't be at all surprised if we saw legislation come up on letting municipalities make the decision," Rhoden said.