Great American Smokeout

Reason to Quit: Secondhand smoke Secondhand smoke causes between 35,000 and 40,000 deaths from heart disease every year. And 3,000 otherwise healthy nonsmokers will die of lung cancer annually because of their exposure to secondhand smoke. These deaths occur because tobacco users are not the only ones who breathe smoke -- all the people around them inhale it too. Unfortunately, non-smoking and ventilated public spaces cannot filter or circulate air at the rate necessary to eliminate secondhand smoke.

The Great American Smokeout has been around for nearly a third of a century and the American Cancer Society is more active than ever in its efforts encouraging people to break their nicotine habit on that day.

In 1971, a movie, "Cold Turkey," starring Dick Van Dyke premiered. The movie featured a town that attempted to win $25 million from a tobacco company for quitting smoking. It is possible the movie inspired an event in Randolph, Mass., in 1971, when Arthur P. Mullaney asked people to give up cigarettes for a day and donate the money they would have spent on cigarettes to a local high school scholarship fund, although there's no direct evidence supporting this.

The idea caught on and spread. In 1974 an editor of a Minnesota newspaper suggested a state-wide Don't Smoke Day. In 1977, the ACS held the first Great American Smokeout.

Today there are events around the country where the ACS partners with local organizations to help people quit smoking.The Nevada Regional Medical Center passed out Smoke-Free Survival Kits in the lobby. The kits contained various items intended to help motivate smokers to quit, they were: a pack of gum, to remind you to stick with it; toothpaste and a toothbrush, to help you keep a fresh outlook on the day; a bottle of water, to help you stay afloat; a YMCA day pass, to keep your body healthy; an apple, an apple a day, keeps the nicotine away; a pen, to keep your hands busy; quitting for life book, to keep you committed to being smoke-free. They also provided information to motivate smokers to quit including the fact the average smoker spends $1,638 a year on tobacco products and the fact that the health benefits begin almost immediately.

In as little as 24 hours after quitting, the chance of heart attack decreases. Two weeks to three months after quitting circulation improves and lung function increases by as much as 30 percent. One to nine months after quitting coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease. One year after quitting the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker. Five to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker.

Quitting smoking is an individualized process, what works for one may not work for another. Quitting can be hard and smokers planning to quit should prepare themselves before hand. The ACS has some tips for people trying to quit. They suggest having a plan to quit smoking, activities to help you quit, listing things that trigger smoking and avoiding them, asking others to help and what to do to prevent a relapse.

Aids to help quit smoking include the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, nicotine nasal spray, nicotine inhaler and bupropion hydrochloride, a non-nicotine pill that helps reduce withdrawal symptoms.