The Great American Smokeout® on November 17th is your day to quit!

Quitting tobacco is hard. But starting with a single day of giving up tobacco can help you take the first step to a longer, healthier life. Let the Great American Smokeout® event on Thursday, November 17th be your day to start the journey toward a life free from smoking. On November 17th, join your fellow Montanans and thousands across the nation to celebrate the Great American Smokeout® by making a pledge to a tobacco-free life.

For over 40 years, the Great American Smokeout® has motivated tobacco users to quit smoking by raising awareness about the deaths and chronic diseases caused by smoking. Around 70% of smokers say they want to quit, and 50% try each year. However, 26% of Montana adults still use tobacco, and tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States.

Tobacco Education Specialist, Sonia Young of the Phillips County Coalition for Healthy Choices said “It’s never too late to stop smoking. The health benefits of quitting smoking begin only minutes after your last cigarette, starting with your heart rate and blood pressure dropping. We’re challenging all Montanans who use tobacco to stop for the day in hopes they will quit for good.”

Phillips County Coalition for Healthy Choices and Malta High School ReACT have partnered with local coffee shops in Malta to promote the Great American Smokeout® and the Montana Tobacco Quitline with special coffee collars. Coffee shops will be serving your hot drink orders in special coffee sleeves all week long. Make sure you stop by any of these participating businesses: Crossroads Coffee, Amanda Lynn’s Espresso Inn, Hi-Line Market, Milk River Mudd, Jumpin’ J’s, and Coffee Central.

On Tuesday, November 10th, the Malta High School ReACT crew will be helping kids at the Malta Kids Club learn about healthy lungs and healthy choices. They will also be decorating brown paper grocery bags with encouraging “QUIT Tobacco” messages which will be used at Albertson’s to bag patron’s groceries.

The Montana Tobacco Quit Line is here to help you on your quit journey, with free coaching, free nicotine replacement therapy, and free prescription cessation medications. And when you combine coaching with NRT or cessation medications, your chances of a successful quit doubles or even triples!

Quit Line coaches know how vulnerable you can feel when attempting to quit smoking, which is why they are trained to provide you a safe and welcoming environment and to meet you where you are in your quit journey.

**NEW this year** the Quit Line now offers a specialized behavioral health program with extra support, including specially trained coaches and additional coaching calls for those who self-report a behavioral health condition and need help quitting all forms of tobacco. The Quit Line also offers special programs for American Indians, pregnant women, and youth. Visit QuitNowMontana.com and click on Quit Your Way to learn more about these special programs.

Quitting tobacco can be the most important thing you do for your health and the health of your family. Start today! Montana Tobacco Quit Line: 1-800-QUIT-NOW or QuitNowMontana.com

American Indian Commercial Tobacco Quit Line: 1-855-5AI-QUIT or MTAmercianIndianQuitLine.com

My Life, My Quit (Under 17): 1-855-891-9989, MyLifeMyQuit.com, or text “Start My Quit” to 36072

For more information on Phillips County events, please call Sonia R. Young at 1-406-654-2378.