The statistics* are staggering.

582,699 Arkansans smoke

25.9% of Arkansas adults smoke

19.1% of Arkansas high school students smoke

4,915 smoking attributable deaths last year

1,675 smoking attributable lung cancer deaths last year

1,227 smoking attributable respiratory disease deaths last year

$1.2 billion annual medical costs related to tobacco use in Arkansas last year

Not to mention the more than 500 non-smokers who die each year in Arkansas from the effects of smoking. It’s an ugly truth that spurred the Arkansas Department of Health to double down on its war with this nasty habit through the Stamp Out Smoking (SOS) project. SOS provides educational material, a phone line and help groups, and also works to pass smoke-free laws in the state to lessen that impact.

Visit StampOutSmoking.com to learn more. For help to quit using tobacco, call 1-800-784-8669.

On Our Must-Read List

A member of the FIT Arkansas staff quit smoking after listening to the audio version of “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” by Allen Carr, published in 1985. The book focuses on nicotine addiction and how you can free yourself from it. It utilizes repetition, almost like hypnotism — and it works.

*Statistics listed aboved sourced from the American Lung Association, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Stamp Out Smoking.