Your Quit Day Checklist:
Getting ready for quit day:
Getting through quit day:
Getting ready for quit day:
- Pick the date and mark it on your calendar
- Tell friends and family the date you have chosen.
- Stock up on sugarless gum, carrot sticks and hard candy.
- Decide on a plan in advance. Will you use nicotine replacement therapy?
- (i.e. patches, gum, lozenges, etc.) Will you attend a smoking cessation class? If so, sign up now.
- Practice saying, "No thank you. I don't smoke."
- Set up a support system. This could be a group class or a friend who has successfully quit and is
willing to help you.
Getting through quit day:
- First and foremost, don't smoke.
- Get rid of all cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays and any other items related to smoking.
- Keep active, try walking, exercising, or doing other activities or hobbies.
- Drink lots of water and juices.
- Begin using the nicotine replacement you have chosen, if that's part of your plan.
- Attend the stop smoking class you have chosen or follow a self-help plan,
- depending on your strategy.
- Reduce or avoid alcohol.
- Use the four "A's" to deal with tough situations:
- Avoid people and places that tempt you to smoke.
- Alter some of your other daily habits, like meal times, your route to work, etc.
- Alternatives for your mouth, like healthy snacks, can help keep it busy.
- Activities for your hands, like needlework, wood carving, or other hobbies, can keep them
occupied.
1-866-QUIT-YES www.cancer.org |
| Thursday, November 20, 2008 |
What is the Great American Smokeout?
Every year, smokers across the nation take part in the American
Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout® by smoking less or
quitting for the day on the third Thursday of November. The event
challenges people to stop using tobacco and raises awareness of
the many effective ways to quit for good.
In many communities, local volunteers support quitters, publicize
the event, and press for laws that control tobacco use and
discourage teenagers from starting.
Research shows that smokers are most successful in kicking the
habit when they have some means of support, such as nicotine
replacement products, counseling, prescription medicine to
lessen cravings, guide books, and the encouragement of friends
and family members.
Despite that, only about 1 in 7 current smokers reports having
tried any of the recommended therapies during his or her last quit
attempt. Telephone quitlines are a convenient new resource,
available for free in many states.
For support in Marion County, call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at
1-866-QUIT-YES (784-8937).
Every year, smokers across the nation take part in the American
Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout® by smoking less or
quitting for the day on the third Thursday of November. The event
challenges people to stop using tobacco and raises awareness of
the many effective ways to quit for good.
In many communities, local volunteers support quitters, publicize
the event, and press for laws that control tobacco use and
discourage teenagers from starting.
Research shows that smokers are most successful in kicking the
habit when they have some means of support, such as nicotine
replacement products, counseling, prescription medicine to
lessen cravings, guide books, and the encouragement of friends
and family members.
Despite that, only about 1 in 7 current smokers reports having
tried any of the recommended therapies during his or her last quit
attempt. Telephone quitlines are a convenient new resource,
available for free in many states.
For support in Marion County, call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at
1-866-QUIT-YES (784-8937).
| IL Tobacco Quitline: 1-866-QUIT-YES (1-866-784-8937) |
If you have children or
grandchildren, you probably
want to set a good example
for them. When asked, nearly
all smokers say they don't want
their children to smoke, but
children whose parents smoke
are more likely to start
smoking themselves. You can
become a good role model
for them by quitting now.
grandchildren, you probably
want to set a good example
for them. When asked, nearly
all smokers say they don't want
their children to smoke, but
children whose parents smoke
are more likely to start
smoking themselves. You can
become a good role model
for them by quitting now.
How the Great American Smokout Began
The Smokeout has helped bring about dramatic changes in Americans' attitudes about
smoking, which have led to community programs and smoke-free laws that are now saving lives
in many states. The event began in the 1970s when smoking and secondhand smoke were
commonplace.
Even though GASO officially began in 1977, the event's roots reach back to 1971, when Arthur
P. Mullaney challenged the citizens of Randolph, Massachusetts, to give up cigarettes for the
day and donate the saved money to a high school scholarship fund. Mullaney coined the term
Smokeout.
Later, Lynn R. Smith, editor of the Monticello Times in Minnesota, spearheaded that state's
first D-Day, or Don't Smoke Day. D-Day spread like wildfire throughout Minnesota and then
blazed west to California. The idea caught on, and on November 18, 1976, the California
Division of the American Cancer Society successfully prompted nearly one million smokers to
quit for the day. That California event marked the first Smokeout, and the Society took it
nationwide in 1977.
Source: American Cancer Society; CDC
The Smokeout has helped bring about dramatic changes in Americans' attitudes about
smoking, which have led to community programs and smoke-free laws that are now saving lives
in many states. The event began in the 1970s when smoking and secondhand smoke were
commonplace.
Even though GASO officially began in 1977, the event's roots reach back to 1971, when Arthur
P. Mullaney challenged the citizens of Randolph, Massachusetts, to give up cigarettes for the
day and donate the saved money to a high school scholarship fund. Mullaney coined the term
Smokeout.
Later, Lynn R. Smith, editor of the Monticello Times in Minnesota, spearheaded that state's
first D-Day, or Don't Smoke Day. D-Day spread like wildfire throughout Minnesota and then
blazed west to California. The idea caught on, and on November 18, 1976, the California
Division of the American Cancer Society successfully prompted nearly one million smokers to
quit for the day. That California event marked the first Smokeout, and the Society took it
nationwide in 1977.
Source: American Cancer Society; CDC
| Click the logo below for more information on the Great American Smokeout. |