Smoking is a habit that can be very difficult to quit, but there's no better time than now to kick the habit.
Thursday is the 37th annual Great American Smokeout. The American Cancer Society is encouraging you to kick the habit.
More than 43 million Americans smoke, including 900,000 in Wisconsin.
Nearly 7,000 kids in the state become new smokers every day. 15 percent of pregnant women in Wisconsin also smoke.
Tobacco remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S.
"Most people start to smoke because either family members smoke or their friends smoke," says Dot Kalmon, Coordinator for the Central Wisconsin Tobacco Free Coalition. "They have a group around them when they start to smoke and it's that important when you're trying to quit to have a group around you who supports you. "
You can call the confidential Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW for help. Nicotine Anonymous meetings are held every Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. at St. john Episcopal Church in Wausau.
