The Great American Smokeout is an annual event sponsored by the American Cancer Society designed to help people kick the habit.
November 21, 2019
Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States, despite a significant decline in the number of people who smoke. Almost 38 million Americans still smoke tobacco, and about half of all smokers will encounter smoking related deaths. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that 7 out of 10 smokers want to quit smoking and Nov. 21 is the perfect day to do it!
The Great American Smokeout is an annual event sponsored by the American Cancer Society designed to help people kick the habit. It challenges smokers to stop smoking for at least 24 hours with the hope that their decision not to smoke will last much longer.
At INTEGRIS, we fully support the Great American Smokeout. If you or a loved one smokes cigarettes, consider joining the movement, and take the first step toward quitting cigarettes forever!
“It is well established that smoking is harmful,” says Ryan Norris, D.O., the medical director of cardiology at INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center. “Quitting smoking is the single most impactful thing a person can do in regard to reducing their risks of strokes or heart attacks. There are immediate benefits related to smoking cessation and those benefits are cumulative over time, so it is never too late to quit.”
If you need help, resources are available. Call the Oklahoma quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW. They provide free cessation services, to include counseling and medication.
