BLOOMINGTON – The American Cancer Society’s 46th annual Great American Smokeout® event is today, but tobacco cessation is a year-round fight.
“Overcoming addiction starts with you deciding that you want to quit,” said IU Health Community Health Tobacco Prevention Coordinator Kristen Terry. “We encourage our community to commit or recommit on this day to being healthy and smoke-free for the rest of their lives.”
Terry said cigarette sales have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though smoking is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, accounting for 29% of all cancer deaths.
“Anxiety, depression, boredom, and more could have attributed to this concerning trend,” said Terry. “But smoking doesn’t help these things in the long-term and can make them worse.”
Don’t fight addiction alone. Find resources to support you on this journey and increase your odds of tobacco cessation success.
The American Cancer Society has people available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to support you while you strive to quit.
To find out more, visit cancer.org/smokeout or call 800-227-2345. For in-person tobacco cessation classes in Monroe County, please call IU Health Bloomington Community Health at 812.353.9300 to learn about our 2021 schedule.
If you want to quit and need some help, call the Indiana Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) for free, evidence-based support to tobacco users who want to quit. Visit QuitNowIndiana.com to find out more.
About Indiana University Health
Named among the “Best Hospitals in America” by U.S. News & World Report for 23 consecutive years, Indiana University Health is dedicated to providing a unified standard of preeminent, patient-centered care. A unique partnership with Indiana University School of Medicine – one of the nation’s leading medical schools – gives our highly skilled physicians access to innovative treatments using the latest research and technology. Learn more at www.iuhealth.org.
