Every third Thursday of November, a day is dedicated to raising awareness about the consequences of smoking cigarettes. This is the 36th year that the American Cancer Society has hosted the Great American Smoke Out. A booth was set up on Nov. 17 in the JBK where students were informed about the Great American Smoke Out.
“It’s a day of awareness about the dangers of smoking cigarettes,” said Terri Prescott, manager of Health Initiatives. “It also gives people a target day to quit smoking.”
Students and members of the American Cancer Society encouraged students and faculty to try to quit for one day.
“I think it’s great to provide awareness to students about different factors that they choose,” Amanda Kraemer, a senior History and English major, said. “A lot of younger students think it’s cool to smoke, however they don’t know the consequences that comes from smoking.”People state that smoking cigarettes helps them with nervousness that cigarettes help them calm down. This is not a legitimate reason to keep smoking, said Prescott.
“You’re just damaging your lungs and heart. It’s a bad habit that hard to break because nicotine is very addictive,” she said.
Students were not only informed about the dangers of smoking cigarettes,but also several methods of quitting.
“You have to have the mind set that it’s going to work. If you say that you want to quit but have the mindset that it’s not going to work, you won’t quit,” said Kraemer. “Let your friends and family know that you are trying to quit and keep you accountable. They can help you in a positive way.”
Not everyone is the same when he or she wants to quit smoking. Some methods work for some people while other methods work for others.
“Everyone’s different. Some people can go cold turkey and yet others use the patch or Nicoderm gum that can help you wean off of it,” said Prescott.
She offered several tips for people who are looking to quit smoking.
“Take your focus off of the cravings, suck on some hard candy, chew some gum, and keep yourself occupied,” said Prescott.
To help put an image to their message, junior Matt Wiheberink dressed as the grim reaper and walked around the JBK to remind smokers what could be in store for them if they kept smoking.
“Some people give me bad glares cause they don’t want to see what smoking can do to them, but others see what we are trying to tell them,” said Wiheberink.
