The Tobacco Education Network, a part of Humboldt Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) are asking local smokers to quit tobacco use for one day during the Great American Smokeout Thursday, Nov. 15. This annual event reminds smokers about available resources that can help them quit.
Getting help through counseling and/or prescription medications can double or triple a smoker’s chances of quitting successfully, according to the ACS, and smokers who use counseling, nicotine-replacement therapy or a combination of the two are more likely to quit for good.
Community members can find nicotine-replacement therapy at Open Door Community Health Centers or United Indian Health Services (UIHS). The California Smoker’s Helpline provides telephone counseling at 800-NO-BUTTS. Additionally, smokers should consult with their doctors to determine if medication is a good option. E-cigarettes, also known as vapes, are not tested or recommended to help people quit.
Californians who smoke a pack a day can spend more than $3,000 a year on cigarettes. The ACS says each pack results in $35 in health costs to the smoker, which is nearly $13,000 a year. Smoking continues to be the number one preventable cause of death in the U.S. as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Contact Open Door Community Health Centers at 707-441-1624 and UIHS at 707-825-5000. For more information on the Great American Smokeout, visit www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/greatamericansmokeout/.
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