Letter to the Editor: "Quit Season"

Submitted by the Washington County Tobacco Prevention Coalition

The new year is coming, and it’s a great time for fresh starts. If you’re a tobacco or nicotine user, the best thing you can do this year is to make a quit plan. Smoking is still the number one cause of preventable death in Indiana. Making the decision to quit in 2026 can dramatically reduce your risk for life threatening diseases and even make all of your holiday meals taste better.

Quit plans:

 Combine quit smoking strategies to keep you focused, confident, and motivated to quit

 Help identify challenges you will face as you quit and ways to overcome them

 Can improve your chances of quitting smoking for good

A trained quit coach at 1-800-Quit-Now can help with a quit plan.

You can also follow the Washington County Tobacco Prevention Coalition on Facebook to get tips and other help for quitting and to follow along with coalition events and announcements. SmokeFree.gov includes the following steps for having a successful quit plan:

 Pick a quit date

 Let loved ones know you are quitting

 Remove reminders of smoking

 Identify your reasons to quit smoking

 Identify your smoking triggers

 Develop coping strategies

 Have places you can turn to for immediate help

 Set up rewards for Quit Milestones

Free, confidential help is available at 1-800-Quit-Now or QuitNowIndiana.com. Make 2026 your best year yet by making the decision to quit.

Happy Holidays from your Washington County Tobacco Prevention Coalition