Any day is right day to give up smoking

We haven’t heard much about the Great American Smokeout this year, but it is today, part of Tobacco Cessation Awareness Week in Nebraska.

There has been more publicity about a related subject, vaping, a practice which the American Medical Association said should be banned.

In Nebraska, 15.4% of adults smoke, and nearly 700 kids under 18 become new smokers each year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Businesses lose an estimated $605 million in productivity due to smoking, and related health care costs are estimated at $795 million.

“It’s never too late to quit using tobacco,” said Rudy P. Lackner, MD, board certified thoracic and cardiac surgeon with Nebraska Medicine and advisory board member of the Nebraska Cancer Coalition.

“You don’t need to quit in one day, you need to pick one day to start the process. Within minutes of smoking your last cigarette, your body begins to recover.”

Quitting is tough, especially if you started at an early age, and you can’t do it on your own. Smokers are strongly advised to use proven cessation methods, prescription medications and counseling, or a combination of all three.

Contact your doctor, pharmacist, healthcare provider, local hospital or health department for the information and help you need.