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The Great American Smokeout What is the Great American Smokeout?
How does smoking affect you? Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in our society. Tobacco use can cause lung cancer, as well as other cancers, heart disease, and respiratory disease. Tobacco use accounts for about one third of all cancer deaths in the United States.2 Smoking causes about 87% of lung cancer deaths.3 Through the Great American Smokeout and other programs and services, the American Cancer Society continues to inform people about the dangers of smoking and tobacco use and to save lives by providing the tools to help users quit.2 Smoking causes many short-term and long-term problems. In the long term, smoking causes many types of cancer. Smoking can shorten a person's life span by 13.2 - 14.5 years.3 In the short-term, smoking decreases lung function resulting in shortness of breath, nagging coughing, or tiring easily during strenuous physical activity. Smoking also diminished the ability to smell and taste and causes premature aging of skin.3 Suppose I smoke for a while and then quit? Smoking begins to cause damage right away and is highly addictive. Several studies have found nicotine to be as addictive as heroin, cocaine, or alcohol; it's the most common form of drug addiction in the US. It's better never to start smoking cigarettes -- and become addicted to nicotine-- than it is to smoke with the thought of quitting later. And like alcohol, heroin, and cocaine, nicotine creates a permanent tolerance in the body. When an ex-smoker smokes a cigarette, even years after quitting, the nicotine reaction may be triggered, quickly causing the person to want to smoke again.2 What happens when smokers quit? It is never too late to quit. According to the American Cancer Society, within 20 minutes of smoking the last cigarette, the body begins to restore itself. Their web site lists other benefits gained as the time since your last cigarette increases including:
How can I quit? Quitting smoking is well worth the effort. No one method of quitting, however, is right for everybody. Successful quitting is a matter of planning and commitment, not luck. Decide now on your own plan. Some possibilities include using the nicotine patch or gum, joining a tobacco cessation class, going to Nicotine Anonymous meetings, or using self-help materials such as books and pamphlets. The American Cancer Society Smokeout information provides a wealth of resources and tips for quitting smoking.
Incredible amounts of information, ideas, and products are available to help successfully quit smoking. The key is finding the one for you. The following sites list helpful information and tips:
How much do you know? Test your knowledge with the "Cig Quiz" and find out how much you really know. The information for this site has be compiled from the following sources. Please be sure to visit their web sites. The Centers For Disease Control and the American Cancer Society have a wealth of information available about smoking and smoking cessation.
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The Great American Smokeout is an annual
event in the United States to invite Americans to quit
The Great American Smokeout
is an annual event in the United States to invite
Americans to quit tobacco smoking. The Smokeout
began in the 1970's and the idea caught on. On November
18, 1976, the California Division of the American Cancer
Society successfully prompted nearly one million smokers
to quit for the day. That California event marked the
first Smokeout, and the Society took it nationwide in
1977.1
The past 32 years have seen tremendous strides in
changing attitudes about smoking, in understanding the
addiction, and in learning how to help people quit and
tobacco use has declined significantly. The latest
studies estimate that approximately 44.5 million US adults
smoke.2 
