Thursday, Nov. 21, Is Your Chance to Quit

The Kane County Health Department is encouraging smokers to set the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout (GASO), Nov. 21, 2013, as the day to quit smoking.

Pharmacotherapies, behavioral therapies, and counseling—including telephone counseling—can help patients quit and increase their chances of not relapsing. One way to help smokers quit the habit today is by calling the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at 1-866-QUIT-YES (1-866-784-8937).

Nationwide, smoking is responsible for nearly 1 in 3 cancer deaths, and 1 in 5 deaths from all causes. Another 8.6 million people live with serious illnesses caused by smoking. Reducing tobacco use is one of the top priorities of the Health Department’s Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), as 12 percent of our county’s residents report being a current smoker.

Even though GASO officially began in 1977, the event's roots reach back to 1971, when Arthur P. Mullaney challenged the citizens of Randolf, Massachusetts, to give up cigarettes for the day and donate the saved money to a high school scholarship fund. Mullaney coined the term Smokeout.

More information about the Health Department’s Tobacco Program is available on our website at www.kanehealth.com/tobacco_program.htm . Or contact the American Cancer Society toll-free at 1-800-ACS-2345. Information also is available on the American Cancer Society's Web site at www.cancer.org.

SOURCE: Kane County Health Department