Great American Smokeout

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Great American Smokeout Facts & Quotes

• The holiday began in 1970, when a man in Massachusetts asked people to give up smoking for one day, and donate the money saved to the local high school scholarship fund.
• According to the Center for Disease Control, smoking is responsible for 1 in 3 cancer-related deaths, and 1 in 5 deaths from any cause. Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths per year.
• The Center for Disease Control state that life expectancy for smokers is 10 years less than that of non-smokers.
• The Center for Disease Control states that middle-aged man who smokes, triples his risk of dying from some type of heart disease.
• More Doctors Smoke Camels than Any Other Cigarette - line used in 1949 commercial for Camel Cigarettes.

Great American Smokeout Top Events and Things to Do

• If you are a smoker, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for support in quitting. You can also get help from organizations like smokefree.gov and UCanQuit2.
• Organize a sporting event like soccer or softball as a way to have fun and otherwise help smokers take their minds off of smoking.
• Talk to someone you know who smokes and challenge them to quit for the day.
• Give out sugarless gum to otherwise smokers as friendly gesture to promote an alternative.
• Watch movies and documentaries that aim to uncover the tobacco industry and impact of tobacco addictions:
  1) The Insider (1999)
  2) Addiction Incorporated (2011)
  3) Dying for a Smoke (1992)
  4) Smoke & Mirrors: A History of Denial (2000)
  

Great American Smokeout References and Related Sites