The Department of Health today outlined three important steps Floridians could take to help quit smoking, as 2010 comes to a close and their 2011 New Year’s resolutions are made. In addition, the Orange County Health Department Tobacco Programs, the Florida Department of Health, and Tobacco Free Florida can provide assistance to help smokers quit for good with free support through phone, web and in-person quit smoking resources.
While every year, millions of Floridians attempt to quit smoking, as recent groundbreaking U.S. Surgeon General’s report released on December 9, found that it is more important than ever before to quit smoking immediately. The report emphasizes the importance of quitting early in life, in order to protect immunity and minimize the damage caused by each cigarette to you and people around you exposed to secondhand smoke. The report states that no level of exposure to tobacco smoke is safe.
Although permanently quitting tobacco is very difficult, it is not impossible. Sixty-one percent of adult Floridians who have ever smoked have quit and there are more former smokers in Florida than current smokers. In 2009, about 58 percent of Floridian smokers tried to quit. There are some important steps you can take to be successful in quitting. They are:
Step One: Set a Date
The first step one needs to take is to set a quit date. Once the quit date is set, cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters should be removed from the home, office and vehicle.
Step Two: Get Help
Know why you are addicted and evaluate the health risks of smoking, spend sometime writing them down. Look at the dangers of smoking and the damage it is causing. What do you want to achieve and why?
Tobacco Free Florida offers a number of free resources to help smokers quit.
· Phone: Call the Florida Quitline at 1-877-U-CAN-NOW to speak with a Quit Coach who will help assess the user’s addiction and create a personalized quit plan.
· Online: Enroll in online counseling with the Florida Quitline, where each user can create a personalized, web-based quit plan. Visit https://www.quitnow.net/florida to enroll.
· For information about attending Quit Smoking Now classes, please call: (877) 252-6094.
Step Three: Keep Trying
“No matter how many times you try to quit, don’t give up,” said Dr. Kevin M. Sherin, Director of the Orange County Health Department. “It is easy for people to relapse, but it’s important that people keep trying.”
Most successful quitters make several attempts before finally quitting permanently. In fact, the average number of attempts varies anywhere from five to more than 10 times before a person is successful.
