That’s what the American Cancer Society hopes.
Today, November 17th, is the Great American Smokeout, now in its 36th year. It’s a day for quitting smoking or making a plan to quit. The reason for doing so is pretty compelling: tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US. Despite that, there are still more than 46 million American smokers, which is approximately 21% of the adult population.
Have you tried to quit smoking in the past year? So did at least half of the current smokers in this country. Quitting isn’t easy, but it’s easier when you have support. Take the “Do You Need Help Quitting?” Quiz to determine your level of nicotine addiction as well as the kind of personal cessation plan you’ll need. For extra motivation, check out the health benefits of quitting over time (which start as soon as 20 minutes afterwards!) as well how much money you could save by quitting.
Another way to find support is to connect with other smokers who are trying to quit. PatientsLikeMe considers tobacco addiction a health condition, which is why we include it in our platform. 3,914 of our patient members say they are addicted to tobacco, with 1,263 of them officially diagnosed. What are their methods of quitting? Two commonly reported treatments are Buproprion (Wellbutrin), an antidepressant used as an adjunct for quitting smoking, and Varenicline (Chantix), a drug that blocks the pleasurable effects of nicotine on the brain. (Click each name to read our patients’ evaluations of effectiveness, side effects, cost and more.)
The bottom line is you don’t have to quit alone. Join PatientsLikeMe and do it together.