Never a Better Time to Quit Smoking – The Great American
Smokeout®
November 13, 2006, DENVER – On Nov. 16, thousands
of smokers across Colorado will put out their cigarettes and
take their first step toward a smoke-free life during the
Great American Smokeout®. This annual observance, created by
the American Cancer Society, encourages smokers to quit for
a day in hopes that they can quit smoking for good.
This year, Coloradans have an added incentive to
participate: a free eight-week supply of the nicotine patch
from the Colorado QuitLine. Karen DeLeeuw, director of the
State Tobacco Education and Prevention Partnership, a
program of the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment, said, “We would like to encourage smokers who
want assistance with their quit efforts to contact the
Colorado QuitLine at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for
these free patches and customized help from experienced
coaches. With the help of the quit coaches and the patch,
smokers are seven times more likely to stay quit than by
trying to quit cold turkey.”
The patch is one of the most commonly used nicotine
replacement therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. It is applied directly to the skin once a
day and provides a steady dose of nicotine in a 16- to
24-hour period, without any of the cancer-causing
ingredients found in cigarettes. The nicotine is absorbed
through the skin into the bloodstream, maintaining an even
level of nicotine without smoking. Over the quitting period,
the strength of the patches is reduced until a person no
longer needs to rely on the patch at all.
DeLeeuw said, “We want smokers to know that these free
patches are not a time-limited offer and it’s simple for
them. The first four weeks of the patch are sent directly to
their homes, so they don’t even have to drive anywhere to
pick them up. The Great American Smokeout® is a great
incentive to call.” The Colorado Quitline at
1-800-QUIT-NOW, (7848-669), is operated by National Jewish
Medical and Research Center under contract to the Department
of Public Health and Environment’s State Tobacco Education
and Prevention Partnership. It is a toll-free, telephone
coaching service that offers up to eight free weeks of the
patch and connects smokers with trained coaches who can
guide and support them through the quitting process. This
service is free and available to both English- and
Spanish-speaking Colorado residents. The Quitline coaches
are available Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.;
on Fridays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and on Saturdays and Sundays,
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The service also is available for the
deaf and hard-of-hearing at TTY: 800-659-2656. For more information:
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