Tobacco-Free Humboldt and The American Cancer Society (ACS) are asking local smokers to quit tobacco use for one day during the Great American Smokeout on Thursday, Nov. 16. The Smokeout is an annual event that reminds smokers about the resources available that can help them quit. Smokers who use counseling, nicotine-replacement therapy or a combination of the two are more likely to quit for good.

Smokers can find group and nicotine-replacement therapy at United Indian Health Services 707-825-5000 or Open Door Community Health Centers 707-441-1624. These resources are open to the public. The California Smoker’s Helpline is also available, providing telephone counseling at 800-NO-BUTTS. Additionally, smokers should talk to their doctors who can decide if medication is a good option. E-cigarettes are not tested or recommended to help people quit.

A pack-a-day California smoker can spend more than $3,000 a year on cigarettes, the ACS points out that each pack results in $35 in health costs to the smoker, or just under $13,000 a year. Smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death in the U.S.

For more information on the Great American Smokeout, visit www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/greatamericansmokeout/.

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