Newswise — NEW YORK – On Friday, May 31st, the World Health Organization will ask smokers worldwide to put down their cigarettes for World No Tobacco Day by highlighting the impact tobacco has on lung health.
While this event will spur smokers to quit smoking for the day, many will find it difficult to quit for good. Studies reveal that it may take as many as 30 attempts to quit before giving up smoking completely.
To increase the odds for success, researchers suggest using every Monday as a weekly opportunity to quit and stay quit. A Monday-centric program breaks down the quit journey into bite-size opportunities to check-in, recommit and celebrate progress. And if there’s a slip up, it’s not the end of the world, there’s always another Monday right around the corner to get back on track.
Dr. Joanna Cohen, PhD, Director of Johns Hopkins’ Institute for Global Tobacco Control, says, “Monday is like the January of the week, and can be used as a great cue to quit smoking and help people stay quit. Studies show that smokers are looking for help on Mondays so there’s a natural opportunity to engage them.”
Staying quit is particularly important to restore lung health. These sharable graphics dramatize the benefits to lung health the longer someone goes without smoking.
Quit & Stay Quit Monday
Quit & Stay Quit Monday (QSQM) is an initiative of The Monday Campaigns and the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. QSQM offers a free “Monday Quit Kit” that provides evidence-based resources for individuals and tobacco cessation professionals that help people stay quit one Monday at a time.
For more information on Quit & Stay Quit Monday, visit www.iquitmonday.org. Organizations and individuals can also sign-up for Quit & Stay Quit Monday’s newsletter to receive free weekly tips and follow the initiative on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
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