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Dear Editor:
Quit Season is HERE! The new year is upon us, and it’s a great time for fresh starts.
If you’re a tobacco user, the best thing you can do this year is to make a quit plan. Making the decision to quit in 2024 can dramatically reduce your risk for life threatening diseases. Smoking is still the number one cause of preventable death in Indiana.
SmokeFree.gov includes the following steps for having a successful quit plan:
- Pick a quit date.
- Let loved ones know you are quitting.
- Remove reminders of smoking.
- Identify your reasons to quit smoking.
- Identify your smoking triggers.
- Develop coping strategies.
- Have places you can turn to for immediate help.
- Set up rewards for Quit Milestones.
A quality quit plan combines cessation strategies to keep you focused, confident, and motivated to quit. It will help you identify challenges you may face as you quit, and ways to overcome them. Setting up a plan can improve your chances of quitting smoking for good. Free, confidential help is available through a trained quit coach by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW, texting “READY” to 34191, or logging on to QuitNowIndiana.com.
Make 2024 your best year yet by making the decision to quit.
Stacy Collins
Breathe Easy Hamilton County
Executive Director