The Great American Smokeout Gives Arkansans One More Reason to Quit - November 17th, 2009
Stamp Out Smoking encourages Arkansas tobacco users to participate in the Great American Smokeout on November 19. The Great American Smokeout is a national cessation day held every year by the American Cancer Society. It is a day selected to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco and to help tobacco users quit, for at least one day, with the hope that they will quit for good.
“Arkansas has so many great resources to help tobacco users quit,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, program director of the Arkansas Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program. “The Great American Smokeout, coupled with the dangerous health effects and growing costs of tobacco, is just one more reason for Arkansans to take advantage of those resources like the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline.”
The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline, which can be reached by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW, provides free motivational counseling with a trained Quit Coach® and free nicotine-replacement therapy medications such as patches and lozenges. The Quitline is available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., and services are available in English, Spanish, Marshallese and additional languages if needed. Counseling is tailored to the specific needs of the tobacco user. Women who are pregnant are eligible for a specialized cessation program with additional benefits.
Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, and approximately doubles a person’s risk for stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It causes cancers of the bladder, oral cavity, esophagus, kidney and lung, and has adverse reproductive and early childhood effects. Although nicotine is extremely addictive, quitting is possible with the proper support.
For information on additional cessation resources available in Arkansas, visit stampoutsmoking.com. To begin tobacco cessation counseling with the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, and take the first step toward freedom from tobacco.
Stamp Out Smoking is the media and public relations campaign of the ADH Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program. The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline is managed by TPCP and operated by Free & Clear, Inc., a company providing evidence-based tobacco cessation services to 17 states in the country.
