Take a step towards a healthier life by taking the Great American Smokeout challenge. Thursday, November 17th is the 36th anniversary of the Great American Smokeout. Strive to quit smoking for at least 24 hours, or better yet, for the rest of your life.

The Great American Smokeout has helped to spotlight the dangers of tobacco use and the challenges of quitting, but more importantly, it has set the stage for the cultural revolution in tobacco control that has occurred over this period.

The American Cancer Society provides resources and tools to help you quit. Also the display in Adult Services contains a supply of handouts provided by the American Cancer Society, as well as books to help you quit smoking.

According to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) in 2009 in the United States, an estimated 46 million people, or 20.6% of all adults (aged 18 years and older), smoked cigarettes. Men tend to smoke more then women; 23.5% of adult men and 17.9% of adult women smoke.

Thw CDC reports that tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death, disease, and disability in the US. Each year, around 443,000 people die from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8.6 million suffer from a serious illness from smoking.

For additional information and statistics, or for help with quitting, refer to Medline Plus.