After years of successfully helping tobacco users quit with the Quit For Life® Program, Alere has launched a new book designed to bring that expertise to the everyday consumer. Anyone wanting to quit tobacco can now purchase a copy of Quit Smoking for Life, written by veteran health writer Suzanne Schlosberg with the help of Quit Coaches from the program.

Within the pages of this book, tobacco users will find a five-step plan that makes quitting achievable for everyone. With Quit Smoking for Life, smokers will map out every aspect of their quit -- the date they will stop smoking; how they'll occupy their hands, mouth and mind; and how they will cope with stress, nicotine cravings and being around smokers. Preparation is the crucial step, yet most smokers just wing it -- and fail.

In fact, just 4 to 7 percent of tobacco users who try to quit on their own have success, though 69 percent of smokers say they want to quit.

The Quit Smoking for Life plan involves strategies such as "mini-quits," tobacco proofing, and nicotine replacement medications, which are often used incorrectly. It includes a pull-out workbook, as well as quitting stories from real people who have beat tough nicotine addictions and lots of realistic, supportive tips from professional quit coaches.

Alere Wellbeing has been a leader in the tobacco cessation industry for 25 years. The Quit For Life Program, backed by the American Cancer Society, has an average quit rate of 47 percent. However, many people do not have access to the Quit For Life Program, as it is available only through select employers and health plans. The book, also backed by the American Cancer Society, fills this gap and allows access to the methods proven successful for more than 2 million tobacco users.

Quit Smoking for Life offers the expertise of 200 highly trained Quit Coaches - the same Quit Coaches accessed by participants in the Quit For Life Program. The book is endorsed by Michael Fiore, the Director of the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at University of Wisconsin and a nationally recognized expert on tobacco, and Daniel Eisenberg, the Medical Director of Cardiology at Saint Joseph Medical Center.

"Quit Smoking for Life provides smokers wanting to quit with an uncommon resource - science-based recommendations presented in a personal, accessible way," Fiore said. "I recommend it highly."

Fifty years after the Surgeon General first linked smoking to lung cancer, Alere Wellbeing and Quit Smoking for Life offers tobacco users a path toward freedom from tobacco, whether they smoke or use smokeless tobacco, are occasional users or habitual users.

The book is available on Amazon.com, and is sold in leading bookstores, including Barnes & Noble, Powell's Books and Books A Million. It is also available at airport bookstores throughout the nation. Visit www.quitforlifebook.com to find out more about Quit Smoking for Life and to download a sample chapter.

About Alere Wellbeing

Alere Wellbeing brings together science, technology and personal interaction to help people recognize and modify unhealthy behaviors to avoid chronic illness and live longer, more vital lives. Alere Wellbeing's evidence-based programs address modifiable health risks that contribute to chronic disease: tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and stress. Current clients include 27 state governments and more than 675 health plans and employers, 75 of which are in the Fortune 500. Alere Wellbeing is known and respected for its pay-for-performance business model, intense focus on scalable service quality, dedicated account management, continuous program improvement and transparent reporting of measurable outcomes at the individual participant and aggregate population level. Alere Wellbeing has contributed to more than 100 published research studies and maintains collaboration with the American Cancer Society and an active research program funded by the Centers for Disease Control, American Legacy Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit www.alerewellbeing.com.

Quit For Life is a registered trademark of the Alere group of companies. Other product or company names are the property of their respective owners.

About Suzanne Schlosberg

Suzanne Schlosberg, a veteran health writer, is the author or coauthor of a dozen books, including Fitness for Dummies and It's No Accident. She lives in Bend, Oregon. Visit her at suzanneschlosberg.com.

For Alere Health
Jan McClure, 770-559-1016
janm@mccluremedia.com
or
Alere Wellbeing
Reed Dunn, 206-876-2609
Reed.Dunn@alere.com