Central ND News

Quit Week is back in North Dakota to encourage commercial tobacco and alternative nicotine product users to make June 11-17 their time to be Tobacco Free in 2023. 

For the fourth straight year, It’s Quitting Time partners from Tobacco Free North Dakota and North Dakota local public health units encourage all cigarette, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarette or vape product users in North Dakota to set a quit date.

Entities like a healthcare provider, pharmacist, NDQuits, or Bismarck Burleigh Public Health (BBPH) can help develop a quit plan and provide tools and resources to greatly improve a user’s odds at success. BBPH and NDQuits provide additional support in the form of personal coaching and nicotine replacement therapy medication. Free nicotine patches, nicotine gum, or nicotine lozenges are provided to qualified enrollees.  

“Coaching and medication are important in quitting, and each is effective when used alone,” said Sue Kahler, Certified Tobacco Treatment Speicalist with BBPH. “Combining coaching and medication can more than double the chances of successfully quitting. Quit Week is a great time to reach out to BBPH to learn more.” 

This week-long awareness campaign also brings attention to the dangers of commercial tobacco and nicotine dependence including many types of cancers, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory illnesses such as COPD and COVID-19. E-cigarette use is also linked to E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI), a serious respiratory illness that could be severe and life-threatening.  

To learn about resources available to quit tobacco and nicotine, contact Sue Kahler at 701-355-1597 or NDQuits.

Original source can be found here