If you are one of the 42 million Americans who still smoke cigarettes, or if you have family and friends that still do, we wanted to share a national initiative that is going on this month to help smokers quit. It is called “The Great American Smokeout” and takes place on November 17th this year. This special day was established by the American Cancer Society to help smokers pick a quit date and stick to it. It can be very difficult to quit smoking, but knowing that you are not alone in the struggle can be helpful, and hopefully motivating.

To help those who want to join in on “The Great American Smokeout” and choose November 17th as their quit date, we have gathered additional information and resources to help prepare you (or your family and friends) leading up to the big day.

The first thing to note is the innumerable benefits to quitting smoking. Diseases caused by smoking claim an estimated 443,000 American lives each year, including those that are not affected directly, for instance babies and children. According to the US Surgeon General, the choice to quit smoking is the “single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of [their] life.” So, the choice to quit smoking- even for one day- is so important to your overall health that it can significantly reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases.

Now that you’ve made the decision to quit smoking, the next step is to pick a quit date, which we recommend to be within the month, so you don’t have the opportunity to change your mind. The quit date is important because it allows you time to prepare and plan. We encourage you to consider making an appointment with one of our providers to discuss options that are available to you, including Nicotine replacement therapy and prescription drugs. For many people, it may take the combination of medicine, changing personal habits, and emotional support in order to quit.

Which brings us to the next important step: building up your support system. Tell your family, friends, and co-workers that you are planning to quit, so that they can help motivate and encourage you. Also, consider stop-smoking programs, Nicotine Anonymous meetings, self-help materials, and telephone quit lines which all can be a great help as you lead up to your quit date.

Before you know it, it will be November 17th and you will be amongst thousands of other smokers who have decided to choose their health over their habit, and starting on a path to successfully quitting for good!! So, schedule an appointment to see one of our providers and check out the American Cancer Society’s webpage to learn more about resources that are available to you at www.cancer.org or calling 1-800-227-2345.