Letter to the editor: New year is a great time to quit tobacco use

The new year is quickly approaching and there is no better time to start thinking about a healthier 2023. If you are a tobacco user, the best thing you can do for your health is to make a quit plan. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the U.S. There are many health benefits to quitting tobacco use. Your risk of a heart attack dramatically decreases after the first year of being smoke free.

According to the 2022 Community Health Assessment for Portage County, 21.4% of Portage County adults smoke. If you are a smoker, you are not alone. There are quit resources available. Research shows that fewer than one in 10 people are able to successfully quit without the help of coaching or nicotine quit medications. The Ohio Tobacco Quitline is a free tobacco cessation program based on proven strategies to help you quit tobacco. There are three programs to choose from: phone and online, phone only, or online only.