Smoking Cessation Awareness Week marks the first time a major city has made a push to stress the importance of smoking cessation rather than focusing on the advancement of tobacco control initiatives.
The week's events target Chicago's smokers, encouraging them to quit and providing resources for them to do so. Local numbers show 18.1 percent of adults in Cook County are smokers.
Carol Southard, a nurse at Northwestern and Tobacco Treatment Specialist, talked about the upcoming week's events, purpose and goals, as well as to provide some key tips for current smokers:
- Smoking is not a moral issue, but a medical one
- A combination of professional counseling AND medicine increases the success rate of smoking
- Don't lead your effort to quit with your heart, but with your head
Chicago has been recognized nationally as a leader in smoking cessation, with a 4 percent decrease in adult Chicago smokers from 2012 to 2013. But there are still thousands who have been unable to quit, and this week aims to assist them in that effort.