Baptist Health Corbin encourages smokers to make a plan to quit smoking during the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout® Saturday

Baptist Health Corbin is encouraging our community to commit or recommit to healthy, smoke-free lives by participating in the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout® event on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Join thousands of smokers across the country in taking a step toward a healthier life and reducing your cancer risk by not smoking for one day. The goal is to help smokers get started on their journeys to smoke-free lives.

“Baptist Health Corbin is showing our support for people who would like to quit smoking by participating in The Great American Smokeout day, “ said Anthony Powers, President of Baptist Health Corbin. “We encourage people to improve their health by taking that first step towards making a plan to quit.”

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, accounting for 29 percent of all cancer deaths. In fact, smoking cigarettes kills more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, HIV, guns and illegal drugs combined. Smoking not only causes cancer. It damages nearly every organ in the body, including the lungs, heart, blood vessels, reproductive organs, mouth, skin, eyes and bones.

Addiction to nicotine in cigarettes is one of the strongest and deadliest addictions one can have. While cigarette smoking rates have dropped (from 42 percent in 1965 to 15.5 percent in 2016), about 37.8 million Americans smoke cigarettes. Each year, approximately 20 million American smokers try to quit, representing more than half of the 37.8 million smokers in the U.S. Only about 1.4 million (7 percent) succeed. An even greater percentage of smokers (68 percent) report being interested in quitting.

Quitting is hard. It takes commitment and starts with a plan, often takes more than one quit attempt, and requires a lot of support. Getting help through counseling and/or prescription medications can double or triple your chances of quitting successfully. Support is also important. Smoking cessation programs, telephone quit lines, the American Cancer Society’s Freshstart program, Nicotine Anonymous meetings, self-help materials such as books and pamphlets, and smoking counselors or coaches can be a great help.

Baptist Health Corbin is partnering with the American Cancer Society by providing Smoking Cessation classes to those wishing to quit. For more information about Smoking Cessation Clinic, which includes education, tools for success, and customized medication therapies, call  (606) 526-4647.