Last Updated on Friday, 18 November 2011 15:21

The Great American Smokeout 
County Executive Robert P. Astorino congratulated 20 Yonkers businesses that refused to sell cigarettes to a minor, to mark the 36th national Great American Smokeout.  The 20 businesses were put to the test by a Westchester County Health Department sting team that includes a minor and two sanitarians.

If you've been thinking of quitting, The Great American Smokeout, is your day to walk away from tobacco and give up your cigarettes for 24 hours. Maybe it will encourage you to remain smoke free forever.

You know smoking is bad. It's still the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. One in two long-term smokers will die from a smoking-related disease. Don't you think it's time to put and end to it?

The Food and Drug Administration has selected the bigger, bolder health warnings that must appear on all cigarette packaging and ads in the U.S. starting in September 2012. These new health warnings will be hard to miss. They’ll take up the top half of both the front and rear of each cigarette package and will appear in the upper portion of every cigarette ad.

These warnings mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking.  The introduction of these warnings is expected to have a significant public health impact by decreasing the number of smokers, resulting in lives saved, increased life expectancy, and lower medical costs.

Look inside a cigarette. There are over 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke and at least 69 of those chemicals are known to cause cancer. 

Get the facts:

• Each year tobacco use kills over 430,000 American smokers.
• More than 3,000 smokers start smoking everyday.
• Smoking causes lung cancer, cancers of the lip, throat, larynx, bladder, pancreas, stomach, kidney and cervix, heart disease and stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Need Help?
Don't go it alone. Quitting smoking is hard on your own. It often takes smokers many attempts before quitting. Maybe you have been thinking about quitting. Maybe you have already quit and have some helpful tips to share.  Maybe you are trying to quit right now. Want help quitting? Go no further than your own backyard.

View the New York City Health Department's new campaign targeting parents who smoke. Smokers are reminded of the children and families left behind when smoking claims a life. View the campaign videos.

NY State is doubling your chances of quitting by offering free Nicotine Replacement Patches. See if you are eligible for a free starter kit.

Take the Smoke-free Home Pledge now. The pledge is designed to protect millions of America's children from the risks of secondhand smoke in their own homes. Keeping your home and car smoke-free may not always be easy, but it is something you can do to protect children's health.

What to do when craving nicotine. The 5D’s:

• Delay smoking when you get the urge. It will pass.
• Drink water, chew gum or have a healthy snack to fight cravings.
• Do something else to distract yourself. Take a walk, call a friend, keep your hands busy by doing chores or squeezing a rubber ball.
• Deep breathing will relax you. Close your eyes and take 10 slow deep breaths or meditate.
• Discuss your thoughts and feelings with someone close to you.