Joel Spitzer
Encyclopedia
Joel Spitzer is an American
smoking cessation
educator. He currently serves as technical advisor at WhyQuit.com, a free nicotine dependence recovery website. All of his videos and writings on WhyQuit.com end with his advice, "Never Take Another Puff!"
(ACS). By the time he was a senior in high school, he was lecturing in medical schools and at professional medical conferences. In 1977, he became Smoking Program Coordinator for the Chicago Unit of the ACS.
In 1978, Spitzer became the smoking programs coordinator for the Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie, Illinois
— the first hospital-based prevention program in the United States. Although the program was a 3-year pilot, he stayed for 22 years. At his lectures, perhaps a hundred people would listen and not speak to him, but the medical center gave him a feeling of purpose. He wrote, "I called the people from my first group daily and they called and kept in touch with me."
From 2000 through 2008, Spitzer provided smoking cessation and prevention services for the Evanston
Department of Health and Human Services and Skokie Health Departments. The clinic was funded by the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and educated people as to why they smoke, why they should stop, how to stop, and how to stay off cigarettes. Since 1972, Spitzer has conducted more than 350 six-session stop smoking clinics to over 4,500 participants, and 690 one-session seminars to approximately 100,000 people.
Spitzer himself has never smoked a cigarette. He answered this complaint at nearly every clinic by pointing out that smoking cessation teachers (who often assume that they were "typical" smokers) think that what worked for them will work the same for everybody. Instead, Spitzer bases his efforts on observation and analysis of the successes and failures of those attending his clinics.
of smoking cessation, like Peter Jennings
, his wisdom and insights seem to be in a league of their own." Spitzer compiled most of the letters in a 149-page book called Never Take Another Puff which is available for free download in keeping with his philosophy that quitting smoking should be free. The book has been downloaded over 2.4 million times.
Although doctors give cold turkey a 10% success rate (and only 5%–10% of quitters are successful on any given attempt), Spitzer encourages smokers to quit cold turkey
. Still, cold turkey continues to prevail over pharmacotherapy quitters in most real-world quitting method surveys.
Spitzer discourages cutting down first, and discourages the use of nicotine replacement therapy
(NRT). He believes that no one advocates quitting cold turkey because no money is made from it. “There’s no easy way out of a drug addiction,” he said. "It's really hard to quit by cold turkey but it's almost impossible by cutting down. If you have a choice between hard and impossible, go for hard.”
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
smoking cessation
Smoking cessation
Smoking cessation is the process of discontinuing the practice of inhaling a smoked substance. This article focuses exclusively on cessation of tobacco smoking; however, the methods described may apply to cessation of smoking other substances that can be difficult to stop using due to the...
educator. He currently serves as technical advisor at WhyQuit.com, a free nicotine dependence recovery website. All of his videos and writings on WhyQuit.com end with his advice, "Never Take Another Puff!"
Early career
Spitzer began presenting smoking prevention seminars at the age of 14 in 1971 as a volunteer speaker for the American Cancer SocietyAmerican Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
(ACS). By the time he was a senior in high school, he was lecturing in medical schools and at professional medical conferences. In 1977, he became Smoking Program Coordinator for the Chicago Unit of the ACS.
In 1978, Spitzer became the smoking programs coordinator for the Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie, Illinois
Skokie, Illinois
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Native American word for "fire". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Its population, per the 2000 census, was 63,348...
— the first hospital-based prevention program in the United States. Although the program was a 3-year pilot, he stayed for 22 years. At his lectures, perhaps a hundred people would listen and not speak to him, but the medical center gave him a feeling of purpose. He wrote, "I called the people from my first group daily and they called and kept in touch with me."
From 2000 through 2008, Spitzer provided smoking cessation and prevention services for the Evanston
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
Department of Health and Human Services and Skokie Health Departments. The clinic was funded by the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and educated people as to why they smoke, why they should stop, how to stop, and how to stay off cigarettes. Since 1972, Spitzer has conducted more than 350 six-session stop smoking clinics to over 4,500 participants, and 690 one-session seminars to approximately 100,000 people.
Spitzer himself has never smoked a cigarette. He answered this complaint at nearly every clinic by pointing out that smoking cessation teachers (who often assume that they were "typical" smokers) think that what worked for them will work the same for everybody. Instead, Spitzer bases his efforts on observation and analysis of the successes and failures of those attending his clinics.
Cold turkey
Spitzer wrote more than 100 stop smoking articles for his clinic graduates; in 2000, he began to share them with sites on the Internet. John R. Polito, who founded WhyQuit.com in 1999 and is the site's editor, said, "I've yet to locate anyone who has presented more quitting programs than Joel. He's not only the Hank Aaron/Babe RuthBabe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
of smoking cessation, like Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
, his wisdom and insights seem to be in a league of their own." Spitzer compiled most of the letters in a 149-page book called Never Take Another Puff which is available for free download in keeping with his philosophy that quitting smoking should be free. The book has been downloaded over 2.4 million times.
Although doctors give cold turkey a 10% success rate (and only 5%–10% of quitters are successful on any given attempt), Spitzer encourages smokers to quit cold turkey
Cold turkey
"Cold turkey" describes the actions of a person who abruptly gives up a habit or addiction rather than gradually easing the process through gradual reduction or by using replacement medication....
. Still, cold turkey continues to prevail over pharmacotherapy quitters in most real-world quitting method surveys.
Spitzer discourages cutting down first, and discourages the use of nicotine replacement therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy is the remedial administration of nicotine to the body by means other than tobacco, usually as part of smoking cessation. Common forms of nicotine replacement therapy are nicotine patches and nicotine gum...
(NRT). He believes that no one advocates quitting cold turkey because no money is made from it. “There’s no easy way out of a drug addiction,” he said. "It's really hard to quit by cold turkey but it's almost impossible by cutting down. If you have a choice between hard and impossible, go for hard.”