Great American Smokeout begins Thursday
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News from Lake County Public Health
POLSON — The Great American Smokeout is always the third Thursday of November each year and was established by the American Cancer Society as a day to encourage smokers to use the date as a beginning to a smoke-free life. Established in 1977, it also serves to spotlight the challenges associated with quitting such a highly addictive drug, nicotine. By quitting — even if for one day — smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life, one that can lead to reducing cancer risk.
Tobacco use remains the single, largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S., yet about 42 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, a bit under one in every five adults. Held around the country, this “day of action” helps to encourage tobacco users to quit by providing them with helpful cessation information and resources, such as Montana’s Tobacco Quit Line. Montana’s Tobacco Quit Line, at 1-800-QUIT-NOW, offers free help to Montanans who want to quit using tobacco; including up to eight weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum or lozenges) and prescription medication discounts such as Chantix and bupropion. The Quit Line is staffed by medical professionals at the National Jewish Medical Center in Denver Colorado, a nationally recognized research institute for the study and treatment of respiratory, allergic and immunologic diseases.
There are many benefits of quitting smoking; food will taste and smell better, you will have more money to save or spend on things other than cigarettes, you will set a good example for your children, do better in any physical activity, have less wrinkling/aging of skin, and ultimately feel better to do the things in life that you enjoy. Writing down your own personal reasons for wanting to quit and reviewing them often is key to initiating this important change in your life. In order to be successful, learn about yourself and think about what feelings, activities or situations cause you to want to smoke and avoid those situations. Create new habits, hobbies, activities that encourage your change. Know that it will take commitment and effort to quit smoking.
Almost 70 percent of smokers want to quit. If you have a setback, learn from it and know how you would deal with it next time. As you go through the first few days without smoking, write down any rationalizations as they come up and recognize them for what they are: messages that can trick you into going back to smoking. Look out for them, because they always show up when you’re trying to quit. After you write down the thought, let it go and move on. Be ready with a distraction, a plan of action, and other ways to re-direct your thought. The good news is that more than half of all adult smokers have quit, and you can too. As Mark Twain once said, “Habit is habit, not to be flung down the stairs by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.”
Quitting smoking is truly one of the best things you can ever do for yourself. You will feel better, look better, have more energy and money and feel better about yourself. Why not make Nov. 20 the first day of the rest of your smokefree life? Call the Montana Tobacco Quit Line today at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
