It's Quitting Time!

According to the U.S. Public Health Service, tobacco use is the most important single preventable cause of death in the United States, responsible for 390,000 deaths annually. In Anne Arundel County, about 1 in 5 adults and teens smokes. No wonder lung cancer is the county's leading cancer killer.

What can you do to quit or help someone you know quit smoking?

• Order a free Quit Smoking Kit or call the Learn To Live Line at 410-222-7979 for information on any of the following resources.
• Sign up for a quit-smoking class. People 18 or older, who live, work or attend school in Anne Arundel County, can get free help to quit smoking. The following programs offer free counseling and quit smoking aids. You must attend counseling sessions to receive quit smoking aids.
  
  Anne Arundel Medical Center
  2001 Medical Parkway
  Sajak Pavilion
  Annapolis, MD 21401
  Pre-registration is required and there is no charge for the classes.
  Call to register or for more information, 443-481-4000 or 1-800-MD-NURSE
  Current enrollment is being accepted for the following classes:
  • April 24, 2008 - 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m
  • June 18, 2008 - 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

  

  Harbor Hospital LifeResource Center
  2990 South Hanover Street
  Baltimore, MD 21225
  Pre-registration is required.
  Call to register or for more information, 410-350-8255 or 410-350-2563
  
  Baltimore Washington Medical Center
  301 Hospital Drive
  Glen Burnie, MD 21061
  Pre-registration is required.
  Call to register or for more information, 410-553-8129
  Current enrollment is being accepted for the following classes:
  • May 7, 2008 - 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m
  
  Owensville Primary Care
  134 Owensville Primary Care
  West River, MD 20778
  Pre-registration is required.
  Call to register or for more information, 410-867-4700
  
• For more resources that provide free counseling and quit-smoking aids, see www.SmokingStopsHere.com or call the Maryland Tobacco Quitline 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
• Help kids say no to tobacco. It's vital to teach kids early to avoid cigarettes and chewing tobacco. The Learn To Live campaign's Smoking Stinks! program offers free materials such as posters, stickers and education booklets, plus speakers for youth and adult groups. For parents, the Smoke-Free Kids Activity Kit, gives you tips on raising smoke-free kids. For teens who already smoke, checkout out the interactive online Quit Smoking Kit that can help them stop smoking on their own.

The Change of Habit booklet can both be viewed and printed as a pdf document. Also, Xtreme Quitting, the next best thing to dumping your butts out of an airplane! This booklet gives you three easy-to-use quitting plans, plus tips for beating butts for good. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system to view the documents. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader click here to download.

Hot Links!

View these Web sites for more information about smoking cessation.

• Maryland Tobacco Quitline - Provides FREE quit smoking counseling sessions on the telephone and nicotine replacement therapy by mail. Support is available in English and Spanish. For further information,
  call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
  www.SmokingStopsHere.com
• American Lung Association
  www.lungusa.org
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/index.htm
• The National Cancer Institute
  www.nci.nih.gov/cancer_information/cancer_type

Let's work together to promote healthier living in Anne Arundel County.