FOR YOUR HEALTH: How You Can Resolve To Be Smokefree In 2023

by Laura Corbin, Bureau Chief,
Tobacco Free Florida

(NAPSI)—The ball, the confetti and the 2022 wall calendars have all come down, and our attention turns to the annual tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. This can include health goals, such as deciding to have 2023 be the year to finally quit tobacco successfully. Most adult smokers in our state tried to do so at least once in the past year, reports the Florida Department of Health.

Quitting for good may take several attempts. With the resolution to quit, every year more and more people succeed on their own. But it may help to know some tips, and to know that you don’t have to do it alone.

Are you resolving to quit tobacco? If so…

Remember your reason.

What’s your biggest personal motivator to quit? If what keeps you going is a desire to be healthy and be there for your kids for years to come, strategically position photos of those smiling faces in the places you used to take your smoke breaks.

Maybe you’re quitting because you like the idea of putting thousands of dollars back in your pocket? Add to your wallet or purse a note keeping track of how much you’re saving every day, and set a goal to save for a specific treat, reward or trip with those savings.

Tell your friends and family about your quit date and plan.

Thank your personal network in advance for their patience and support as you start your quit journey. This might include switching up your plans to include new routines to meet up in different places from where you used to go if tobacco was part of that experience. And, of course, they can cheer you on along your path to success.

Learn about the options in the community for free help and think about which ones seem best to help you “quit your way.”

Support can be what makes this quit resolution stick. That can come in many forms. Tobacco Free Florida’s Quit Your Way program offers free Phone Quit, Group Quit and Web Quit services across the state, text-based support, a Quit Guide and more. Group Quit classes are also free, either in person in any of the 67 counties across Florida or even virtually, right from where you are.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as gum, patches or lozenges could double your chances of quitting for good, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show. Free 2-week starter kits are available when medically appropriate.

Teens should know interactive, text-based quit support is available by texting VAPEFREE to 873373 to join the state’s Live Vape Free program to help quit e-cigarettes. As a state, we are making progress against e-cigarettes: youth use of electronic vapor products has dropped each of the last five years, including going down by more than 17% last year, according to the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey. Working together, that number can continue to drop for 2023.

Make 2023 your year to be smokefree. Stay focused, share your awesome plan and get help in the way that works best for you, and you can do it. Thousands across Florida already have.

Check out TobaccoFreeFlorida.com for more tips, ideas and support.