By Angela Bereznak

Clark County Health Department

For more than 40 years, the American Cancer Society has hosted the Great American Smokeout on the third Thursday of November; this year the Smokeout in Nov. 21.

The Great American Smokeout is an opportunity for smokers to commit to healthy, smoke-free lives — not just for a day, but year-round.

The Great American Smokeout provides an opportunity for individuals, community groups, businesses, health care providers and others to encourage people to use the date to make a plan to quit or plan in advance and initiate a smoking cessation plan on the day of the event.

The Great American Smokeout challenges people to stop smoking and helps people learn about the many tools they can use to help them quit and stay quit.

Quitting tobacco is challenging but it is possible.

Today, more than 43 million people in the U.S. smoke cigarettes, or about 1 in 5 adults.

Addiction to nicotine in cigarettes is one of the strongest and most deadly addictions one can have.

Quitting is hard for many people who smoke. It takes commitment and starts with a plan, often takes more than one quit attempt and requires a lot of support.

Smokers are strongly advised to use proven cessation methods such as prescription medications and counseling to quit smoking.

It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor or pharmacist to get guidance about what medication and programs are best for you.

Research shows smokers are most successful in their efforts to stop smoking when they have support such as self-help books and materials, smoking cessation counselors or coaches and encouragement and support from friends and family members.

Using two or more of these measures to quit smoking works better than using any one of them alone. For example, being enrolled in a smoking cessation class and using nicotine replacement therapy such as NicoDerm CQ.

Smoking cessation resources

— SmokefreeTXT for Teens: This program is for young adults (13 to 19 years old) in the U.S. who want to be smoke-free. The program is six to eight weeks, depending on the quit date. You will receive three to five messages per day. Sign up at teen.smokefree.gov/become-smokefree/smokefreeteen-signup or text QUIT to 47848.

— The American Lung Association in collaboration with other agencies created Freedom From Smoking. Freedom From Smoking is an eight-week course led by a facilitator who helps participants learn to manage stress and techniques to help them stop smoking and using other tobacco products.

The Health Department offers a Freedom From Smoking class four times a year for $5. NicoDerm CQ patches are given to participants who are enrolled in the eight-week course. The Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP) in Clark County provides funding to the Health Department for the patches.

— 1-800-Quit-Now is a smoking cessation helpline that is free to Kentucky residents. 1-800-Quit-Now provides smoking cessation counseling via phone. Counselors will contact individuals weekly to support them on their smoke-free journey. — The American Cancer Society is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide support, from questions about quitting smoking to looking for national or local resources to help you quit. To find out more, visit cancer.org/smokeout or call 1-800-227-2345.

Clark County Health Department provides programs for the entire family, including WIC, HANDS, family planning, well-child care/immunizations, freedom from smoking and home healthcare. For more information, call 859-744-4482 or visit www.clarkhealthdept.org