FALLS CHURCH, Va. --The U.S. Department of Defense is urging young enlisted personnel to put themselves to the test today. Nov. 19 is the day smokers worldwide are joining the Great American Smokeout, or GASO, stomping out their butts and taking on one of the biggest internal challenges they may face.
"Our service members are famous for being the toughest bunch of men and women out there, which means they are tough enough to quit tobacco if they commit to it. Nov. 19 is an excellent quit date. There's no better time to get the support and jumpstart needed to succeed," said Capt. David Arday, a physician and U.S. Public Health Service officer and chairman of the DoD Alcohol and Tobacco Advisory Committee.
The initiative is part of the DoD's tobacco cessation campaign, "Quit Tobacco--Make Everyone Proud" or QTMEP. "When you quit smoking, you show that you are tough enough to conquer what some claim is merely a bad habit, but what science and research tell us is a strong addiction. But we can be stronger," Arday said.
Getting support is a powerful weapon in winning the battle against tobacco. In addition to the support at medical treatment facilities, prospective quitters can find cessation resources at the QTMEP Web site at http://www.ucanquit2.org. A special GASO section features an online pledge that enables service members to publicly announce that they can -- and will -- stop smoking on Nov. 19. In doing so, they connect to others on their installation, across the country and around the globe in this annual worldwide event.
Health professionals can register their installation's GASO event to publicize it locally and across the country. Free GASO materials are available for them to order or download to help stage events, including customizable fact sheets. Visitors will find specially designed e-cards to send to encourage friends and family to give up tobacco. Military personnel can send e-cards to announce their intention to join the Smoke Out, submit Tobacco Tales testimonials or start quit blogs to both give and seek support.
The award-winning Web site offers resources, peer support, games and live help with trained tobacco cessation coaches, as well as personalized, downloadable quit tools. Users can also find social networking links to Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/ucanquit2), Facebook and YouTube.
For those who want their own private area to concentrate on tobacco cessation, the campaign Web site provides users with My Quit Space, where they can create a customized quit plan and calendar.
The Great American Smokeout is the American Cancer Society's nationally recognized day when it advocates for people to put down their cigarettes, cigars, spit tobacco and other tobacco products.
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