This Father’s Day Save Money, Save a Life - June 16th, 2009
Sunday, June 21 is the perfect day for Arkansas dads to start living a healthy and prosperous life. On that day, dads currently using tobacco can celebrate Father’s Day by stopping their tobacco use, choosing to save money and be around longer for their families. To help dads celebrate this special day, families can provide the loving support dads need to be tobacco-free before Father’s Day next year by encouraging them to call the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
Smoking has been linked to various forms of cancer, heart disease and respiratory diseases. Smokeless tobacco users may suffer from gum disease, oral cancer and have an increased risk of a heart attack. But quitting smoking benefits dads’ health almost immediately. In addition to their own health, dads can improve the health of their families. Studies show there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. By not smoking and not allowing others to smoke around their children, fathers can reduce the risk of their children having allergies, asthma or other lung problems. In Arkansas, it is against state law to smoke in a vehicle with a child under six years of age and under 60 pounds. The law, ACT 13, is a primary offense and Arkansans can be pulled over by law enforcement agents and given a ticket for violating the law.
Dads who quit smoking will lighten the burden on their wallets, freeing spending money for themselves and family members. In Arkansas, the average cost for a pack of cigarettes is five dollars. After one week, a pack-a-day user will spend $35 on tobacco, enough money to buy a new tie. In one month, an ex-smoker will save $150, enough for a new charcoal grill and four steaks.
After six months, an ex-smoker will save $900, enough for a new set of golf clubs, and in just one year, an ex-smoker will save $1,800, enough for a flat panel HDTV. In fact, a pack-a-day smoker spends an average of $100,000 on tobacco in their lifetime.
To stop tobacco use, dads should call the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669.) The program is free, and services include free medication while supplies last and the support of a Quit Coach® by telephone or online. By using a combination of free medication and cessation counseling, tobacco users nearly double their chances of quitting. By calling the Quitline, dads can take the first step toward quitting and preventing their children from being one of the 2,600 children in Arkansas who will be without their dads this Father’s Day. Each year, another 360 Arkansas children will lose their dads to smoking.
Stamp Out Smoking is the media and public relations campaign of the ADH Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program. For information on additional cessation resources available in Arkansas, or for detailed services provided by Free & Clear, visit stampoutsmoking.com. To begin tobacco cessation counseling with the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
