50 years ago this week the 1st Surgeon General’s report on the health dangers of smoking was published- and we’re still fighting the battle. About 43 million Americans still smoke despite decades of warnings. Smoking kills more people every year than car crashes, suicides, murders, illegal and prescription drugs, and alcohol abuse combined (6,800 people each year in Arizona).
If your New Year’s resolution is to quit smoking, you’re in good company. Quitting tobacco is the 3rd most common resolution- but it’s often broken because of a lack of support. The Arizona Smokers’ Helpline (our ASHLine) is a free service available to any Arizonan who’s looking for help to quit tobacco. The ASHLine provides free quit coach services which means you’ll work with someone to develop a quit plan. Many of the coaches are former smokers themselves so they know how difficult quitting can be.
The ASHLine also provides nicotine replacement therapies such as the gum, patch or medication. When nicotine replacement is combined with the use of a quit coach the ASHLine’s success rate is 33%. Compare that to quitting cold turkey which is only successful 3% of the time.
If you’re ready to quit tobacco today, call the ASHLine toll-free at 1-800-55-66-222 or visit ASHLine.org for more information. Quit coaches are ready to help you make 2014 a tobacco free year.
