Great American Smokeout Day Urges Smokers to Quit (Poll)

Could this be the first day of life without tobacco?

That's the question asked by the American Cancer Society (ACS), organizers of Thursday's Great American Smokeout Day—which encourages smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day.

Glen Burnie resident Sylvia Mentecki, who quit smoking in May 2010, didn't use the ACS-sponsored day as motivation. She said she'd tried unsuccessfully to quit a few times before last May but, this time, it stuck.

"It was about the third time I had quit since I started when I was about 16, [not counting] a few other short-term quits," Mentecki said. "You have to surround yourself with supportive yet unjudging people and you really have to want to do it."

Mentecki said it was important that she not only have a support system, but also support herself.

"You have to encourage yourself. This time I found a saying 'I'm doing it and I'm going to keep doing it.' I would sit and say that to myself when I got stressed and wanted to [give up]," she said.

For those who want to quit but may need more assistance from outside sources, the Anne Arundel County Learn To Live program offers . Learn To Live, part of the Anne Arundel County Department of Health, is a collection of free services, information and materials to help residents live healthier lives, according to its website.

Materials available include a Quit-Smoking Kit, which offers easy-to-use steps for quitting and staying smoke-free; a Power to Quit Smoking Kit, which offers a guide encouraging African-Americans to stop smoking; and I Quit, which is an interactive online program that helps teens beat the habit.

The kits can be requested from the Learn To Live line at 410-222-7979 or from the Spanish Language Line at 410-222-4479. The kits can also be ordered or downloaded at MyQuitKit.org.

The Arundel County Department of Health, in partnership with community medical providers, also sponsors free quit-smoking classes for adults who live, work or attend school in the county. The free classes include counseling and may offer nicotine replacement therapy. Pre-registration is mandatory. These local health care providers offer the quit-smoking classes:

• , 301 Hospital Dr., Tate Cancer Center. Call 410-787-4367.
• Anne Arundel Medical Center, 2000 Medical Parkway, Health Sciences Institute, Annapolis. Call 443-481-4000 or 800-MD-NURSE.
• Harbor Hospital, 2990 South Hanover St., LifeResource Center, Baltimore. Call 410-350-2563.
• Owensville Primary Care, 134 Owensville Rd., West River. Call 410-867-4700.

For more information about cancer prevention or tobacco cessation, visit the Department of Health websites, LearnToLiveHealthy.org and SmokingStinks.org or call the Learn To Live line at 410-222-7979.