SAFE GC Coalition: Great American Smokeout Is November 21

Once again, SAFE, the Youth Bureau and Glen Cove School District will bring informative, and interactive programing to teens during the Great American Smokeout (GASO). This year’s theme is “Empowered To Quit”. The collaborator’s goals are to reinforce the teens education they receive in the Glen Cove Schools on the dangers of smoking and nicotine addiction and new emerging products while enlightening them to new topics such as the harms of tobacco marketing in their local retailers and imagery in the movies aimed at promoting youth initiation. GASO will be celebrated this year with Ms. Amanda Sullivan’s Glen Cove Middle School Health Education students and students enrolled in SAFE’s Life Skills Training Program facilitated by Ms. Moinica Salinas as part of the Glen Cove Youth Bureau’s After 3 program.

GASO is important! Although cigarette smoking rates have been declining for decades, cigarette smoking remains the most preventable cause of serious illness and death.

• Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke cause more than 480,000 deaths in the US every year.
• Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of at least 12 different cancers.
• In the US, cigarette smoking causes about 3 of every 10 cancer deaths. This number is higher in parts of the South and Appalachia.
• Some groups of people smoke more heavily or at higher rates. These populations tend to be those who face barriers to care and inequities in multiple areas of their lives, including:
  • People at lower socioeconomic levels
  • Those without college degrees
  • American Indians/Alaska natives
  • African American/Black communities
  • LGBTQ+ communities
  • People serving in the military
  • People with mental health conditions

It’s not too late to quit using tobacco. No matter what a person’s age or how long they have been smoking, quitting improves some aspects of health immediately and even more over the long term.

Giving up smoking is a difficult journey, but chances of success can be increased with a good plan and support. Getting help through counseling and medications doubles or even triples the chances of quitting successfully.

Quitting smoking is a process, and success may look different for different people. There are many ways to quit smoking, and some work better than others. The American Cancer Society educates the public about the steps to take to quit smoking and help find quit-smoking programs, resources, and support that can increase chances of quitting successfully. To learn about the available tools, call 1-800-227-2345 or reach us via live chat. There are also free tips and tools by visiting https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/great-american-smo....

SAFE and its community partners are promoting their campaign “Live Safe” in the hope the students will embrace a healthy substance free lifestyle, while continuing their ongoing efforts of advancing a Tobacco Free City.

SAFE is the only alcohol and substance abuse prevention, intervention, and education agency in the City of Glen Cove. Its Coalition is concerned about tobacco use, marijuana use and vaping. The Coalition seeks to educate and update the community regarding its negative consequences. To learn more about the SAFE Glen Cove Coalition please follow us on ww.facebook.com/safeglencovecoalition or visit the Youth and Tobacco Use page of SAFE’s website to learn more about how smoking/vaping is detrimental to your health at www.safeglencove.org.