Coming Together to Quit Smoking | Muncie Voice
In May 2008, Debbie Buckman drew her last breath after a five-month battle with lung cancer. An avid gardener, devout friend, and mother of two, Debbie never thought her smoking habit would end her life so young. She had dreams of moving back to Arizona to be with her family, seeing her first grandchild, and watching her son graduate from college. She wanted to quit and always thought she had more time. At the age of 57, her time ran out.
Debbie and her family are not the only ones who have battled with tobacco use and addiction. It is a major problem across both Indiana and Delaware County. According to the recently released 2012 County Health Rankings, 25% (or about 22,000) of Delaware County?s adult residents smoke, increasing their risk of developing or dying from diseases such as heart disease, lung cancer, and COPD. These are diseases that could be largely prevented by quitting smoking.
The silver lining is that smoking is an addiction that 60% of Hoosier smokers want to overcome. Like with many other addictions, smokers have to overcome the physical addiction to an addictive drug (in this case, nicotine) and break their smoking habit, which can mean making major changes to their lifestyle. The process of quitting is one that many people attempt to do on their own and one that, in the past, has been seen as an individual struggle. However, when smoking affects one-quarter of adult residents, it requires the help of the entire community to make a positive impact for all.
Everyone has a part they can play in helping other community members quit tobacco. Employers can offer discounted or free nicotine replacement therapy as part of their employee benefits package. Health care providers can set patients up with smoking cessation services, like the Indiana Tobacco Quitline, while they are still in the office. Community agencies can promote tobacco-free lifestyles to youth and young adults while referring adults to cessation programs in the county. Friends and family can offer support and encouragement to those who are trying to quit. There are dozens of ways that each person in the community can help others quit.
This is not just a personal effort; this is a community support that helps those who want to quit take their next steps towards becoming a non-smoker. This is an effort to help someone not only prevent life-altering and potentially deadly diseases, but also help families and friends spend more time with the ones they love. For more information on how you can contribute to a non-smoking community, visit www.tobaccofreedelawarecounty.org or www.quitnowindiana.com.
Debbie and her family ran out of time. Let?s prevent that from happening to someone else that is ready to quit.
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