There may be a little less haze in the air today. Cigarette smokers across Iowa are being encouraged to give up the habit just for today in hopes they’ll make the break permanent. Kathy Holdefer, spokeswoman for the Des Moines chapter of the American Cancer Society, says kicking the habit isn’t easy, but help is available.
Breaking the tobacco addiction is very hard, but Holdefer says research shows every time a person tries to quit, their odds improve for being able to quit for good. She says Iowa smokers who’d like to quit can log on to the website, cancer-dot-org, or call the toll-free “Quit-Line Iowa” at 866-U-Can-Try.
She says friendly counselors can help you develop a plan to quit and will even offer follow-up calls, information through the mail and contacts locally where more help can be obtained. One in four adults in Iowa smoke. The Cancer Society says nearly 18-hundred Iowans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year and more than 17-hundred will die from it.