Online talks led people to quit tobacco addiction in five days.
Seventh-day Adventists in the Santa Catarina state of Brazil won’t let a mere global pandemic stop their quest to help people live free of smoking: the University Adventist Church in Florianópolis, the state capital, recently produced a five-day stop smoking clinic online, and the impact was life-changing.
Here’s an example: 57-year-old Zelene has been smoking for about 40 years, and now smokes about 12 cigarettes a day. She prayed for an answer, and through a neighbor, she learned of the online “How To Quit Smoking” course and signed up. After the five-day course, more than 10 days have passed without her smoking.
The program offered lectures via the Zoom and YouTube platforms, presented by medical specialists. The series has received more than 5,000 online views.
“The course combines the medical part with healthy habits, such as cutting caffeine, exercising, and eating more fruits on a daily basis. Thus, the person is able to quit smoking in five days,” explained coordinator Filipe Souza.
“We had offered this course for many years, but now with the pandemic, we need to reinvent ourselves. And it was a success.,” said Professor Joel Souza, who also led the course.
And Zelene is happy: she no longer drinks coffee, she exercises, drinks plenty of water, and eats more fruits. "I believe that God led everything to answer my prayer and today I am cigarette free,” she said.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site