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Every year, smokers across the nation
participate in the American Cancer Society’s
Great American Smokeout® by smoking less or
quitting for the day on the third Thursday of
November. The event challenges people to stop using
tobacco and raises awareness of the many effective
ways to quit for good.
In many communities, local volunteers support
quitters, publicize the event, and press for laws
that control tobacco use and discourage teenagers
from starting.
Research shows that smokers are most successful
in kicking the habit when they have some means of
support, such as nicotine replacement products,
counseling, prescription medicine to lessen
cravings, guide books, and the encouragement of
friends and family members.
Despite that, only about one in seven current
smokers reports having tried any of the recommended
therapies during their last quit attempt. Telephone
quitlines are a convenient new resource, available
for free in many states.
Call 1-800-ACS-2345 to find a quitline or other
science-based support in your area.
How the Great American Smokeout Began
The Smokeout has helped bring about dramatic
changes in Americans' attitudes about smoking,
which have led to community programs and smoke-free
ordinances that are now saving lives in many
states. The event began in the 1970s when smoking
and secondhand smoke were commonplace.
The idea for the Great American Smokeout came
from Arthur P. Mullaney, a Massachusetts resident
who asked people to give up smoking for a day in
1971 and donate the money they would have spent on
tobacco to a local high school. Then, in 1974, Lynn
R. Smith, editor of the Monticello Times in
Minnesota, spearheaded the state’s first
D-Day, or Don’t Smoke Day.
The idea caught on, and on November 18, 1976,
the California Division of the American Cancer
Society successfully prompted nearly one million
smokers to quit for the day. That California event
marked the first Smokeout, and the Society took it
nationwide in 1977.
Smokeout Fueled New Laws, Now Paying Off in
Lives Saved
Each year, the Great American Smokeout also
draws attention to the deaths and chronic diseases
caused by smoking. And throughout the late 1980s
and 1990s, many state governments responded by
banning smoking in workplaces and restaurants,
raising taxes on cigarettes, limiting advertising,
discouraging teen cigarette use, and taking further
actions to counter smoking.
Those states with strong tobacco control laws
are now reaping the fruits of their labor in
markedly lower smoking rates and fewer people dying
of lung cancer, according to a 2003 report in
Cancer Causes and Control.
The study found lung cancer death rates among
adults age 30-39 were lower and falling in most
states that had a strong anti-tobacco program. In
states with weak tobacco control, lung cancer rates
were higher and climbing.
Today, an estimated 46 million US adults smoke.
Tobacco use can cause lung cancer, as well as other
cancers, heart disease, and respiratory disease.
Smoking is responsible for one in three cancer
deaths, and one in five deaths from all causes.
Another 8.6 million people are living with serious
illnesses caused by smoking.
Fortunately, the past 25 years have seen
tremendous strides in changing attitudes about
smoking, in understanding the addiction, and in
learning how to help people quit.
For more information visit our web pages about
quitting smoking, improving your health or getting
involved in the Great American Smokeout. Or just
call your American Cancer Society at
1-800-ACS-2345.
Source: www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/ped_10_4.asp
The Gay American Smoke
Out
The Gay American Smoke Out is an opportunity for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT)
individuals to challenge themselves to quit
smoking. It is also an opportunity for LGBT
organizations to provide resources for quitting and
host fun events to raise awareness about tobacco
use.
Why Gay?
To counter high prevalence rates of tobacco use
among the LGBT community, awareness and culturally
relevant anti-smoking messages and intervention
services must be initiated. The Gay American Smoke
Out is an easy, low-cost project to adopt.
The Gay American Smoke Out is an opportunity for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT)
individuals to challenge themselves to quit
smoking. It is also an opportunity for
organizations to provide resources for quitting and
host fun events to raise awareness about tobacco
use.
History of the Gay American Smoke Out
The Gay American Smoke Out was first introduced
in 1994 by the Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay
Community Center. Typically held on the 3rd
Thursday in November, The "Gay American Smoke Out"
was created to coincide with the American Cancer
Society's "Great American Smokeout". Not meant to
compete with ACS's "Great American Smokeout" but to
dovetail efforts and target the LGBT community with
culturally appropriate messages. Some LGBT
communities have held their Gay American Smoke Out
in November-others have held their Gay American
Smoke Out during the month of June during Pride
festivities.
In November of 1997 and with no budget, Seattle
hosted their first "Gay American Smoke Out". Hosted
by Project ASSIST and the American Cancer Society,
they placed one ad in the Seattle Gay News and
received requests for a whopping 35 Quit Kits.
Three years later, Gay City Health Project, The
Seattle Lesbian Cancer Project, Public Health, The
American Cancer Society and Stonewall Recovery
Services combined their funds and created a budget
of $4500. With this collaborative effort they
advertised the Gay American Smoke Out for two weeks
in two gay papers and tripled their outreach
activities. They hosted booths at the Pink Zone,
the Wild Rose, the Broadway Market and IKEA.
In 2000 Seattle distributed nearly 400 Quit Kits
in the Seattle area. The first national Gay
American Smoke Out was in 2001 with several
organizations participating. Jump on board! Start
planning your event! It's easy, it's fun and it is
important!
Source: www.gaysmokeout.net/
* * *
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