By: Jade Rayner News Editor
Western Oregon University is now in its second year of being a tobacco free campus, yet many students and employees continue to gather around the edge of campus to smoke throughout the day. While it is ultimately up to the individual if they would like to smoke, Nov. 17 is a day aimed 
at informing smokers of the health benefits of quitting along with providing advice on how.
The American Cancer society hosts the Great American Smokeout each year with the aim of getting people to set a quit date or use that day to quit smoking. Cancer.org states that “by quitting – even for 1 day – smokers will be taking an important step toward a healthier life and reducing their cancer risk.” Tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of premature death and disease in the world as reported by the American Cancer Society.
It may not be easy to quit, but the CDC website claims that “the urge to smoke is short—usually only 3 to 5 minutes.” The CDC suggests making a list of activities to do you when you start to feel the urge to smoke; activities could include calling or texting a friend, drinking water or taking a walk/exercising in some way.
The Student Health and Couseling Center on campus provides multiple resources to help students quit; free tobacco quit kits are available to pick up in the waiting room. The kit includes a mint, gum and lollipop to give you something to reach for other than a cigarette, a book of tips for staying tobacco free and a tobacco use tracker in order for you to keep track of when and why you smoke.
Students can also make medical and counseling appointments to get help with quitting by calling the center at 503-838-8313, or visit their website at wou.edu/health.
The decision to quit smoking can be difficult, but the Great American Smokeout is a great day to start the process. With all the resources available on campus, you won’t have to go through it alone.
Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu
