Every year, on the third Thursday of November, smokers across the nation take part in the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout event…and it’s today. We all are asked to encourage someone we know to use today to make a plan to quit, or plan in advance and then quit smoking that day.
About 40 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, and tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the world. While cigarette smoking rates have dropped (from 42% in 1965 to 17% in 2014), cigar, pipe, and hookah – other dangerous and addictive ways to smoke tobacco – are very much on the rise. Smoking kills people – there’s no “safe” way to smoke tobacco.
The American Cancer Society says quitting smoking has immediate and long-term benefits at any age. Quitting is hard, but you can increase your chances of success with help. Getting help through counseling or medications can double or triple the chances of quitting successfully. Help is available by calling the Indiana Tobacco Quitline – at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
