There’s an old adage “Quitters never win and winners never quit,” but it’s not always true. Today, quitters are winners at least if they’re quitting smoking. Kerry Finnegan is spokeswoman for the Iowa chapter of the American Cancer Society which is sponsoring today’s Great American Smokeout. Some Iowa restaurants are going smoke-free for today only, encouraging patrons to come in and enjoy the smoke-free environment. Also, several youth groups in Iowa that are part of Just Eliminate Lies, or JEL, are holding various events to spread the news about the dangers of tobacco use. Finnegan says the point of today’s event is — if you can quit smoking for one day, you can quit for life. For those who are willing to try, she recommends calling the American Cancer Society at 800-ACS-2345. There’s also the website “www.cancer.org/quittobacco”. Finnegan says people who take part in a group program or structured quitting program have twice the chance of staying off cigarettes. She says the alternative to continuing to smoke is likely lung cancer, America’s number-one cancer killer. She says 1,800 Iowans will be diagnosed this year with lung cancer while nearly 1,700 Iowans will die from it.
