You don’t have to wait until the New Year to make a resolution to kick the habit. Today is the Great American Smokeout and a great day to give up smoking for good. According to the website for the American Cancer Society, the idea for the Great American Smokeout grew from a 1970 event in Randolph, Massachusetts, at which Arthur P. Mullaney asked people to give up cigarettes for a day and donate the money they would have spent on cigarettes to a high school scholarship fund. Then in 1974, Lynn R. Smith, editor of the Monticello Times in Minnesota, spearheaded the state’s first D-Day, or Don’t Smoke Day.

The idea blossomed, and on November 18, 1976, the California Division of the American Cancer Society got nearly 1 million smokers to quit for the day. That California event marked the first Great American Smokeout, and the Society took the program nationwide in 1977. Since then, there have been dramatic changes in the way society views tobacco advertising and tobacco use. Many public places and work areas are now smoke-free, this protects non-smokers and supports smokers who want to quit.

Today, the Great American Smokeout is sponsored by the American Cancer Society and takes place every year on the third Thursday of November. By quitting, even for one day, smokers take an important step towards a healthier life. Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet about 42 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, that’s a little under 1 in every 5 adults. CLICK HERE  to  see information on quitting and resources that can help you quit.

* When smokers quit – what are the benefits over time?

* Information from the American Cancer Society