Success story: Sergeant turns to cessation class to quit smoking Published Nov. 16, 2011 By Master Sgt. Jerome C. Baysmore 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs Scott Air Force Base, Ill. -- Call them the 618th Air and Space Operations Center or the Tanker Airlift Control Center, but they've called themselves having one less smoker amongst them. Master Sgt. David Barr Jr., global operations duty officer, recently attended Scott Health and Wellness Center's tobacco cessation program to kick his 20-year habit. "I'd been smoking for 20 years," he said. "I started smoking back in high school because I looked so cool when I was doing it. "I decided I wanted to be around to see my grandchildren some day and smoking doesn't coincide with that decision." According to Scott AFB's web-based health assessment results, 47 percent of active duty members have tried to quit in the last year with about 28 percent of users listing they'd intended to quit within 30 days of taking the survey. HAWC officials noted attending the tobacco cessation program doubles the chances of successfully quitting. It was also the choice Barr made. "I utilized one of our smoking cessation programs offered here," he said. "I opted for Chantix as my quitting aid. Chantix lets you smoke for the first week, so I guess it took a week to quit." Although Barr quit smoking, he said it's still difficult. "The hardest part about quitting to me is the fact that I no longer have a periodic reward for myself throughout the day like, 'After I finish this enlisted performance report, I'm going to smoke.' "I don't believe the desire to smoke will ever leave, but I can ignore it now," he said. The Department of Defense has rolled out several programs to help servicemembers curb their nicotine dependence such as Ucanquit2.org, and TRICARE's smoking quitline at 866-695-QUIT (8766). "Do it for yourself," Barr said. "Because if you do it for someone else, you will relapse when they upset you."