Let's be Smoke Free!

Its that time of again! The Great American Smokeout was November 21st this year. This day puts emphasis on why it is important to quit smoking now! Over 30 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, and smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death and illness in the world. Smoking causes about 1 in 5 deaths. Although the amount of people smoking has greatly dropped there are still many groups of people that smoke more than others disproportionately. 

If you quit smoking, you will see health benefits immediately. It takes a lot of courage and will power to quit smoking, but with the tools and knowledge, anyone can do it. 

The Great American Smokeout began over 40 years ago by the American Cancer Society to provide an opportunity for people who smoke to commit to healthy, smoke -free lives – not just for a day, but year-round. According to the ACS website: "The Great American Smokeout provides an opportunity for individuals, community groups, businesses, health care providers, and others to encourage people to use the date to make a plan to quit, or plan in advance and initiate a smoking cessation plan on the day of the event. The Great American Smokeout event challenges people to stop smoking and helps people learn about the many tools they can use to help them quit and stay quit."

For Tools to Help you Quit Smoking:

• Be Tobacco Free.gov
• Cancer.org
• Smoke Free.gov
• Tips From Former Smokers