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Every year, thousands of Montanans look to the New Year for a fresh opportunity to change their lives for the better. For Montanans who use tobacco, a great way to accomplish this is to quit for good.

While some people have been able to quit completely on their own, others have found – using some of the same principles as with Weight Watchers and 12-step programs – that they are encouraged by support from friends. The Montana Tobacco Quit Line and American Indian Commercial Tobacco Quit Line do just that. The quit line programs offer free services available to all Montanans that can help them achieve their goal of a tobacco-free life.

The quit line offers free and reduced cost medications, counseling and personalized quit plans to all callers. There are also dedicated programs for pregnant women and American Indian callers. These programs deliver tailored services to create the best opportunity for everyone to succeed.

Quitting tobacco can be the most important thing you can do for your health. E-cigarettes are not a proven way to do this. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, e-cigarettes are not an FDA-approved tobacco cessation medication. New FDA regulations requiring disclosure of e-cigarette ingredients have not yet come into effect. Currently, there is no way of knowing exactly what you are inhaling.

The Quit Line, and the FDA-approved cessation medications available through enrollment, is a proven way to help stop tobacco use successfully.

To get started, call the Quit Line today. The call is toll-free at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), or visit the website at http://www.QuitNowMontana.com to enroll. American Indian callers can reach Native coaches directly by calling 1-855-372-0037.

Set yourself up for success in the New Year, call the quit line.

I want to tell you a personal story now. It’s about my mom.

She started smoking cigarettes when she was 16. It was the cool thing to do. Her friends did it. This was long before the U.S. Surgeon General told everyone that smoking causes lung cancer and premature death.

Throughout my childhood years, my brother, sister and I urged my mom to quit. She tried and tried, to no avail.

Eventually, she was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. She fought it. And won. A survivor!

A few years later, again, a mammogram revealed a different breast tumor. She fought it. And won. A survivor!

Then came ovarian cancer. You guessed it. She won! A survivor!

She kept on smoking. The years caught up with her. Along with diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, came eye problems and need for a cornea transplant that didn’t work. Then heart problems – atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. Then…

She was diagnosed again with cancer. This time it was in her lung. Doctors did all the necessary testing for her to eventually undergo cancer treatment. But she never got there. Just a few months later, she passed away from lung cancer in August 2016. That was a little over a year after I took this job, a job where I learned ALL of the dangers of tobacco use, so that I can share the information with others.

Almost everyone knows someone, or are a tobacco user themselves. What devastation tobacco use brings – use of cigarettes, cigars, smokeless “chew” tobacco. Nicotine, the active ingredient in tobacco products, is very addictive and very dangerous!

But, with help and support from the many free services of the Montana Quit Line, a new and better life is within reach.

I encourage you to take it. May God bless you with good health and happiness in the coming year.

For more information, Sanders County Tobacco Prevention Program can be reached at 827-6901.