Begun in 1977, the Great American Smokeout challenges the country’s 46 million adult and 5 million youth smokers to take a 24-hour break from cigarettes...

Millions today will just say no to cigarettes

Millions of Americans will just say no today: No to cigarettes.

Today is the Great American Smokeout. Begun in 1977, the Great American Smokeout challenges the country’s 46 million adult and 5 million youth smokers to take a 24-hour break from cigarettes. Many of those who quit for the day will carry that momentum forward and put down the smokes once and for all.

The statistics are frightening enough to encourage smokers to give the Smokeout a try: Smoking is responsible for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and is a major cause of cancers of the lungs, throat, esophagus, and bladder. Nearly 90 percent of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. Lung cancer in turn is the leading cause of cancer death, and is one of the most difficult cancers to treat.

Aside from the personal health benefits, just saying no also helps friends and loved-ones.

According to the National Cancer Institute, half the smoke generated by every cigarette is secondhand smoke. In a pack-a-day smoker’s home, non-smokers inhale the equivalent of three cigarettes daily. Sit in a smoky bar for four hours and you’ll effectively puff four cigarettes.

Smoking also has a trickle-down corrupting influence for young children, who mimic the habits of their parents.

Statistics also betray nicotine’s intensely addictive qualities. Seventy percent of smokers say they want to quit, 60 percent attempt to quit and only 3 percent successfully quit each year.

Despite those odds, the struggle is worth it.

Join millions of Americans in quitting smoking today. It may prove to be the first step on a journey that will save your life.