Quit for one day for the Great American Smokeout

  • Published
  • By Lana Fred, Health Educator
  • Health and Wellness Center
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Do you think you can quit for one day? Just one? That's all the Great American Smokeout asks you to do. This year, the Smokeout will take place on Nov. 15. If you participate, you will quit smoking for one day, alongside thousands of other smokers. Are you up for the challenge?

Thirty-seven percent of male Airmen ages 18 to 25 smoke, and more than 16 percent of 18 to 24-year-old male Airmen dip. Of male Airmen ages 18 to 25, 19.2 percent start smoking and 11.1 percent start using smokeless tobacco after joining the service. And once you start using tobacco, it's hard to quit. Very few people quit tobacco the first time they try. On average, it takes eight to 11 attempts to quit successfully.

The D-M Health and Wellness Center offers several convenient options to assist you in quitting smoking or chewing. For additional information about your options, contact the HAWC at 228-2294.

The U.S. Department of Defense provides an educational campaign, Quit Tobacco--Make Everyone Proud, at their website www.ucanquit2.org. The website is loaded with great information and interactive support features to help you get ready to quit tobacco. User can develop a personalized quit plan; get information, listen to podcasts; connect to Federal, military, State, local, and online cessation programs; and find diversion tactics such as playing games. Additionally, you can communicate privately with a trained cessation counselor via instant messenger, seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

If you're a TRICARE beneficiary and not eligible for Medicare, TRICARE may cover smoking cessation counseling for you. You don't need to have a smoking-related illness to use this benefit. For more information on quitting smoking, visit triwest.com/tobacco.

Set your quit date and stop using tobacco. You can feel proud of yourself for doing something that's good for you, for your loved ones, and for your country. Call the HAWC at 228-2294 to get more information.

Quit Tobacco--Make Everyone Proud (www.ucanquit2.org) is an educational campaign for the U.S. military, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. The mission of the Web site is to help U.S. servicemen and women quit tobacco--for themselves and for the people they love.