June 2013

By Steffie Duginske, Western Regional Coordinator

As a health educator, I am interested in my health and the health of others.  However, I am also a former cigarette smoker and understand tobacco addiction all too well.  Like so many others, I started young - 14 years old - for the typical reasons.  I wanted to fit in with a friend.  I was definitely addicted well before high school graduation.  Sadly, it took me 10 years to finally kick the habit.  On a positive note, I’m one of the lucky ones who quit for good.  Of the nearly 69% of adult smokers in 2010 who wanted to quit, more than 50% tried but only 6.2% succeeded.¹

I would like to use this blog to talk not about prevention (of course it’s best to not even start) but rather on the benefits of cessation counseling for those who are already addicted. At the Campaign we focus especially on women of childbearing age, as their tobacco use can impact their own...