Make Today Your First as an Official Non-Smoker, Louisiana

Get our free mobile app

There are so many reasons to stop smoking, Louisiana! You know all of the health benefits, but the biggest reason to stop smoking today for the Great American Smoke Out is YOU!

Today, Thursday, November 16, 2023, is the Great American Smoke Out

The American Cancer Society's Great American Smoke Out is held on the third Thursday of November every year. Why? Easy, if you can quit for one day, you can quit for two, right? Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it!

I'll be the first to admit, quitting smoking might be the hardest thing you ever do.

After smoking for nearly 30 years, I put down cigarettes on July 1, 2020, with the help of my primary care physician and the use of Chantix. My main motivators were getting healthy, watching my ex-husband struggle with lung cancer, and fear of COVID-19. I'll admit, I relapsed several times, but with the exception of one or two bad days, I've been smoke-free now for well over a year. I don't know if this is true, but I've heard that it's harder to quit smoking than drugs like heroin or cocaine.

I'm ready to quit smoking, where can I find help in Louisiana?

If the time is right for you to quit smoking, help is available. You can work with your primary care physician like I did or you can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit QuitwithusLA.org for access to more smoking cessation resources. And don't forget, you always have the American Cancer Society, too.

Smoking cigarettes is detrimental to your health, your relationships, and your wallet.

If you've been having a hard time wrapping your head about putting those cigarettes down, I've got you covered. I'm not going to post any graphic pictures about what it does to your lungs and overall health, because you already know. But did you know it can affect your relationships? Open any dating app around, it'll ask if you're a smoker or not and it's one of the few filters that pretty much all allow users to filter people out of their searches.

Smoking costs the average Louisiana resident $1,852,369 over their lifetime.

Do you have nearly $2 million to throw away? I know I don't and that's from the latest research from WalletHub.com. The numbers they published are astounding.

Statistics Regarding Smoking in Louisiana via WalletHub.com:

Out-of-Pocket Cost per Smoker – $111,077 (Rank: 14th)

Financial-Opportunity Cost per Smoker – $1,162,042 (Rank: 14th)

Health-Care Cost per Smoker – $136,379 (Rank: 10th)

Income Loss per Smoker – $427,412 (Rank: 4th)

Other Costs per Smoker – $15,459 (Rank: 42nd)

Total Cost Over Lifetime per Smoker: $1,852,369

Total Cost per Year per Smoker: $38,591

Be nice to yourself, Louisiana! Stop smoking today!