INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Tobacco Quitline offers free medication to Hoosiers who use tobacco to help them quit smoking. The free nicotine replacement therapy promotion began May 1 and will end when supplies run out.
To take advantage of the free offer, those who use tobacco must enroll in the Indiana Tobacco Quitline, which provides a trained coach who will work with them to make a personalized quit plan. Online counseling is also provided. Once enrolled, participants will receive a two-week supply of free medication, including gum and patches. The gum and patches are paid for with tobacco program money.
Although it can be difficult to overcome nicotine addiction, Hoosiers do quit smoking every day. Today, there are more former smokers than current smokers nationwide. Surveys have found that nearly 70 percent of all cigarette smokers want to quit, and research shows quitting at any age has health benefits, according to a news release.
Those benefits include:
•Lowering your risk for lung cancer and many other types of cancer
•Reducing your risk for heart disease and stroke
•Reducing respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath
•Lowering your risk of developing lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
•Reducing your risk of infertility
•Lowering your risk of having a low-birth-weight baby
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Approximately 20 percent of Indiana adults smoke, and smoking kills more than 11,000 Hoosiers each year. More than 330,000 Hoosiers live with smoking-related diseases.
Take the first step toward quitting smoking and get free help by calling the Indiana Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or by going to QuitNowIndiana.com.
