While billions of New Year’s resolutions will be made this long weekend, many people will attempt to make a difficult pledge — one that their life just may depend on.
Attempting to quit smoking is a common refrain for millions of smokers around the country and around the Southern Tier, especially around the New Year. Promises of cold turkey (no, not those nasty leftovers from last month) too often end moments after the Times Square ball drops, with the familiar warmth of a cigarette seemingly helping to calm the nerves of a helpless addict.
I often find myself heckling my friends who smoke, trying my best to inform them that it’s a dangerous habit with dire — and often deadly — consequences.
But it seems that for every death stick they inhale, they’ve got another air-headed excuse to exhale: “We’re slowly dying every day anyway.” ... “So what? You eat fatty foods and drink — what’s the difference?” ... “I just need one, to relax.”
I applaud any readers who are hoping to quit smoking for 2008. As a non-smoker, I can’t comprehend how difficult it is for you to give it up — but I can share with you how important it is that you do:
Lung cancer kills 1.3 million people each year. That’s about one person per 6.5 seconds.
Tobacco is the No. 1 preventable killer in the country.
And even if you don’t care, it doesn’t just affect you: in the U.S., about 50,000 people die every year from second-hand smoke.
(Facts courtesy of www.whudafxup.com — home of those familiar anti-smoking commercials.)
Cold turkey — no more cigarettes, effective immediately — is just one of the ways people try to quit. Nicotine patches and gum help others try and kick the habit, but no matter which way you choose, sticking to your promise is just as important as making it.
And New Year’s isn’t the only time of year when smokers attempt such a massive smoke-out; in fact, the annual Great American Smokeout is quickly becoming a national tradition.
The event, held on the third Thursday of each November, encourages smokers to kick the habit for 24 hours, hoping their decision will catch on.
Unfortunately, many of the same participants will try again beginning Monday night, with renewed hope that 2008 can bring a clearer future. Their lives may depend on it.
Strub is a copy editor at the Press & Sun-Bulletin. His column appears Thursdays.
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