By Sherry Larson

People’s Defender

If you were a child in the ’60s and ’70s, you probably knew many people who smoked. Most houses had ash trays, and even high schools had smoking areas.

Starting in 1964, awareness of the health risks of smoking increased. According to the National Library of Medicine’s website, the United States Surgeon General’s continued reporting recognized tobacco’s harmful effects, including addiction and cancer. There was also growing concern about secondhand smoke.

A decline in social acceptance of smoking followed, and marketing campaigns fostered legal restrictions.

Over 40 years ago, the American Cancer Society began the Great American Smokeout®. The Smokeout is on the third Thursday of November, November 17 this year. The goal is for smokers to commit to healthier and smoke-free lives – all year – and for the rest of their lives.

Quitassist.com offers tools and tips on helping individuals be successful quitters.

Get Ready:

– Choose a specific quit date

– Think about all the ways quitting will improve your life and health

– Get rid of temptations

– Think about what you learned from past attempts to quit

Get Support and Encouragement:

– Talk to friends, family, and coworkers about why you want to quit and how important it is to you

– Ask them to keep tobacco out of sight

– Get expert help. Ask a doctor, psychologist, or other health professional for advice or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free telephone counseling and quitting information

Learn New Skills and Behaviors:

– Plan ways to distract yourself from urges

– Have other things nearby to hold in your hands or put in your mouth

– Look for fun activities that don’t include tobacco

– Be prepared to manage withdrawal symptoms

– Get Medication and Use it Correctly

Be Prepared for Relapse and Difficult Situations:

– Find new ways to handle stress or calm your nerves

– If you do slip, don’t beat yourself up, and don’t give up – learn from it

– Limit or monitor your use of triggers like coffee and alcohol

– Eat healthy foods and get some exercise to help manage your weight and mood

– Remind yourself of the benefits of quitting

To quit cigarette smoking, many folks switched to vaping, which became a widespread trend among youth. Cdc.gov reports that E-cigarettes entered the U.S. marketplace around 2007; since 2014, they have been the most-used tobacco product among U.S. youth. Using E-cigarettes has health implications as well. “Drugwatch.com reports that the dangers of vaping include nicotine addiction, severe lung injury, seizures, Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, popcorn lung, strokes, and heart attacks.”

Locally, Tami Graham of the Adams County Medical Center Foundation facilitated the start of a vaping program in our schools. The Foundation received $75,000 from Interact for Health out of Cincinnati to work on the vaping problem in the schools. Graham reports, “With that money, we’ve been able to conduct ‘take back days.’” They offered incentive gift cards to any student dropping off a device. The program included a 10-week N-O-T (Not on Tobacco) training session, which graduated 19 students this past spring. Graham is excited about prevention and hopes to add additional resources to the “stop vaping” effort soon.

Today could be the day you decide to quit. Ask for support and encouragement because unlearning habits and overcoming addiction are challenging. As cancer.org states, “Quitting smoking isn’t easy. It takes time. And a plan. You don’t have to stop smoking in one day. Start with day one.”