Quiting for one day can be first start

Published 5:01 am Wednesday, November 19, 2008

By Staff
This Thursday, Nov. 20, is the 33rd Great American Smokeout.
I have been lucky that I never became enamoured with becoming a smoker.
I tried one of those free cigarettes the airlines used to give away, which my father kept in his desk drawer in case he ran out of tobacco.
I was 16 and was trying to make my grandmother mad.
About 30 years later I smoked another – to get a boyfriend to quit.
Neither worked and I never liked anything about it – the smell, the choking and the expense.
When I worked at the Jewel Food store as a checker I believe they cost about 50 cents a pack. That seemed high. Now, I have friends who have paid more than $5 a pack.
Each year, the American Cancer Society offers to provide free resources to help smokers quit.
The Great American Smokeout was inaugurated in 1976 to inspire and encourage smokers to quit for one day.
According to the American Cancer Society, 44.2 percent of the 45.3 million Americans who smoke have attempted to quit for at least one day in the past year.
The Great American Smokeout is an opportunity to encourage people to commit to making a long-term plan to quit for good.
With all the resources available to help smokers quit, there has never been a better time to quit smoking, and the American Cancer Society is here to help. If you smoke, make a plan and set the Great American Smokeout, Nov. 20, 2008, as your quit date.
By calling the American Cancer Society Quitline(r) at 1-800-227-2345, people who plan to quit will be able to speak with a trained counselor and receive free, confidential counseling. Visit www.cancer.org/GreatAmerican
Studies have found that Quitline can more than double a person's chances of successfully quitting tobacco. Callers to Quitline can be connected with smoking cessation resources in their communities, social support groups, Internet resources, and medication assistance referrals.
Using these resources can increase your chance of quitting successfully
I may not have ever gotten friends to actually quit, but I have encouraged them to try.
Studies show the importance of social support in quitting smoking, as people are most likely to quit smoking when their friends, family, and coworkers decide to quit smoking.
The American Cancer Society says tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Each year, smoking accounts for an estimated 438,000 premature deaths, including 38,000 deaths among nonsmokers as a result of secondhand smoke. Half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from smoking-related diseases.
I hate having to wash my hair and clothes after being with my smoker friends. I also wonder about my lungs.
My mother suffered from second hand-smoke. Her doctor was always telling her she needed to quit and she never smoked even once.
My dad suffered in his last years, coughing and hacking for all those years of pipe tobacco getting into his lungs.
Not only did my mother inhale the smoke, she had to hear him struggling for a breath.
I believe smoking shouldn't be banned everywhere, but employees should have choices as to whether they can work in those conditions, just as patrons have a choice as to whether to go to a certain restaurant.
Again I am lucky I never picked up this habit. It isn't easy to break.
Encourage your loved ones to quit – even if it is only for this one day.