Great American Smokeout: Time to kick the habit
There's no time like the present to quit smoking, so put out those butts and join millions of others not lighting up Thursday during the 32nd annual nationwide Great American Smokeout.
The one-day push to get Americans to kick the habit is held on the third Thursday of November every year and has been since the American Cancer Society made it a centerpiece of its anti-smoking efforts in 1977.
Estimates show about 43 million American adults still smoke, with the habit responsible for one in three cancer deaths and one in five deaths from all causes, from lung cancer and other cancers, heart disease and lung disease. Another 8.6 million people are living with serious illnesses caused by smoking, according to the society.
Smoking rates are dropping, however. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 19.8 percent of adult Americans in 2007 were smokers, down a full percentage point from 2006.
But even with the lower numbers, the CDC said it's highly unlikely the nation will reach an objective of having only 12 percent of American adults still smoking by 2010.
The push to quit smoking has been augmented by state and local laws abolishing smoking in public buildings, restaurants, workplaces and bars.
Studies have shown lower smoking rates and less lung cancer in states with tough smoking laws, while states with weak restrictions had higher (and growing) lung cancer rates, according to the society.
How do you kick the habit?
The American Cancer Society gives some suggestions, including using nicotine replacement products, getting counseling, joining a stop-smoking group, or calling a cessation hotline, plus the basic encouragement and support from friends and family.
Telephone hotlines exist in all 50 states, including the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), or go to the Web site at http://www.ctri.wisc.edu/quitline2.html.
