Less smoking has a big payoff — more birthdays
Jump to full article: Fort Dodge (IA) Messenger, 2009-11-01
Author: Liddy Hora heads up community relations locally for the American Cancer Society.
Intro: Are you contributing to the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States? You could be if you smoke. Smoking cigarettes and cigars is the most common cause of lung cancer, which kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers combined. Studies have shown that tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S.
As the official sponsor of birthdays, the American Cancer Society marks the 34th Great American Smokeout on Nov. 19 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By doing so, smokers will be taking an important step toward a healthier life - one that can lead to reducing cancer risk and creating more birthdays.
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We know that quitting smoking is tough and that most smokers have to try several times before quitting for good. The American Cancer Society offers a variety of effective resources ranging from online tips and tools to personalized telephone coaching by trained specialists. We hope that smokers will use the Great American Smokeout to map out a course of action that will help them to quit, and in turn to stay well and celebrate more birthdays.
The American Cancer Society created the trademarked concept for and held its first Great American Smokeout in 1976 as a way to inspire and encourage smokers to quit for a day. One million people quit smoking for a day at the 1976 event in California. The Great American Smokeout encourages smokers to commit to making a long-term plan to quit smoking for good.
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