The American Cancer Society and Tuscarawas County Health Department is shedding light on a program to help individuals stop smoking.
With more than 20,000 people dying each year from a smoking-related disease in Ohio, Thursday’s 49th annual Great American Smokeout encourages those who use any type of nicotine product to create a quit plan.
Tuscarawas Public Health Educator Lana Shrock says one major resource is the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line, 1-800-QUIT (784)-NOW (8669).
“They offer free quit counseling to all Ohioans regardless of insurance status or income. On their website they also offer quit calculator tools, quizzes, they offer a lot of strategies to help keep you on the quitting side of things.”
Schrock adds that ending the use of nicotine products can result in health benefits.
“Every week, month, and year you’re probably going to notice something different about your body or the way you feel so, for example, within 20 minutes of quitting, your blood pressure and your heart rate drop to normal.”
In Ohio, tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease and death, and smoking is linked to at least 12 types of cancers, including lung, liver and colorectal.
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