American Cancer Society challenges students to quit smoking starting Nov. 20

University of Toledo students are being challenged to take the leap and quit smoking tobacco.

Every year on the third Thursday in November, the American Cancer Society sponsors the Great American Smokeout, an event that encourages people to reduce their risk of cancer by quitting smoking.

“It’s just really not as big of a leap,” said Stanley Edwards, director of the UT Counseling Center. “I’d say we want to challenge anyone, any student to quit.”

According to the American Cancer Society, “Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S., yet about 42 million Americans still smoke cigarettes — a bit under 1 in every 5 adults.”

In order to reach UT students and encourage them to quit smoking, the UT Counseling Center and Rocket Wellness will set up information booths on Nov. 20 in the Student Union near the food court.

“The purpose of the Great American Smokeout is to raise awareness about tobacco, the ills that it causes, but primarily to have people challenge their notions about using and trying to quit,” said Will Pecsok, associate director and clinical counselor at the UT Counseling Center.

The Counseling Center will be at Student Union from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. providing students with information about quitting smoking and issuing a 72-hour tobacco-free challenge.

According to Pecsok the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Program at the Counseling Center provides students with information on quitting, resources available to help quitting and support groups on campus.

“We provide one-on-one counseling and supportive services for students. We also work in conjunction with the Student Medical Center who can provide information regarding nicotine therapies that are available,” Pecsok said.

Pecsok said the point is to reach out to students one-on-one and talk to them about the health risks and costs of smoking.

“The hardest part is connecting with someone when they are ready to quit,” Pecsok said. “As far as substance or any addiction, the key to the thing is strike when the fire is hot, to help someone when they are ready for help. Getting the awareness out there for people who are ready to quit when they’re ready to stop using is the biggest thing.”

According to Pecsok, smoking comes with “innumerable costs.” He said smoking has monetary costs, social costs, relationship costs and health costs.

“People are not attracted to people who smell like smoke and put off carcinogenic fumes,” Pecsok said. “Be aware of the thing that you’re doing on a voluntary basis because of its monetary and social costs, but it’s going to have some pretty strong personal costs too, and they’re pretty clear-cut and they’re pretty direct.”

To encourage students to quit, the Counseling Center teaches smokers about the costs associated with tobacco use.

“We want to give them information to make sure they are making an informed decision,” Edwards said.

According to Edwards, UT’s tobacco ban has visually raised awareness around the campus community. He said that he has noticed less tobacco use on campus as a result of it.

UT instated a tobacco ban on campus in July 2014 and the “smoking huts” have been taken down since then.

“It was a necessary step, I think that’s caused not just a visual awareness, but hopefully, an awareness with people to show this isn’t going to be permitted or acceptable,” Pecsok said.

UT students and Student Government worked to institute the tobacco ban. Edwards said students are now more aware of the health risks associated with smoking.

“I think in my generation it was cool to smoke. I can remember seeing people smoke in movies, and people smoking on TV,” Pecsok said. “I remember at 18 going out and buying a pack of cigarettes because it was the cool thing to do.”

According to Edwards, the current generation of students understands that smoking is harmful and over time it has become “engrained in the community.”

Pecsok said he played an active role in campaigning to institute the tobacco ban because he finally realized the myths about smoking.

“In order to champion for this cause I had to quit smoking myself. It was probably the most difficult thing I had to do,” Pecsok said.

Edwards and Pecsok said the Great American Smokeout is a way to reach out to more student smokers.

“The idea is to raise awareness on campus,” Pecsok said. “What we want to do is challenge people about their tobacco use and try to get them to live lives in a healthy way. What we want to do is probably raise their awareness to the costs of smoking and the health dangers of smoking.”