39th Annual Great American Smokeout

Source from:  The Russellville Courier 11/24/2014

The Arkansas Department of Health's Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (TPCP) encourages all smokers to stop smoking or pledge to quit in observance of the American Cancer Society's 39th Annual Great American Smokeout (GASO).

Smoking causes immediate damage to your health. If you are a smoker, you are at an increased risk for cancer, heart attack, lung disease, and early death.

"Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States," said Michelle Snortland, Branch Chief of the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.

About 5,800 Arkansans die a year from a tobacco-related disease. TPCP encourages smokers to use GASO to make a plan to quit. By quitting, even if it is just for one day, smokers will be taking a step towards quitting for good.

The Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program recommend the following five steps to quit smoking:

Set a quit date.

Tell your family and friends you plan to quit.

Anticipate and plan for challenges.

Remove cigarettes and other tobacco from your home, car, and workplace.

Talk to your pharmacist, doctor, or call the quitline to get a quit coach and discuss nicotine replacement therapy options.

It is the goal of the TPCP to prevent people from using tobacco or nicotine, to encourage those who do smoke to stop smoking, and to eliminate exposure to secondhand and thirdhand smoke.

TPCP is able to carry out its work by funding through the Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement (MSA). Arkansas is one of the only states that uses all funding from the MSA for Healthcare Initiatives.

"We are thankful for the funding from the MSA and recognize the need to inform the public of the health risk of tobacco and nicotine use. This is why we feel this day is so important and ask all smokers in Arkansas to pledge to quit for GASO," said Snortland.

The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline is here to help. Available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, the Quitline greatly increases a tobacco user's success in quitting by offering a combination of free counseling sessions with a QuitCoach and free nicotine-replacement therapy medications. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW today.

Unlimited access is also given to Web Coach, an interactive, online community that offers tools to quit, social support, and more information about quitting. Enditem