Go Tobacco Free This Father’s Day
The Helpline Offers FREE Resources To Quit Tobacco
OKLAHOMA CITY (June 15, 2023) — This Father’s Day, June 18, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline encourages dads to take the first step toward a healthier life by quitting tobacco. The Helpline, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), provides FREE resources proven to increase your chances of quitting tobacco — and remaining tobacco free.
Among Oklahoma men, tobacco use remains a serious problem. More than 1 in 5 (21%) Oklahoma men smoke, while almost 14% use smokeless tobacco. Male smokers put themselves at high risk for developing smoking-related health issues like lung cancer, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. Plus, through secondhand smoke, they risk endangering the health of their families.
Kenneth Allen, a resident of Perkins, started smoking in his late teens.
“Everything centered around smoking, even the activities that I did with my family. I was putting them second.” Allen said. “When I called the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, they were very supportive. They didn’t pressure me. They told me what my options were.
“That was one of the things that interested me in calling back and actually talking to them. They made me feel like they cared.”
Logan, Allen’s daughter, is proud of her dad for quitting and said she felt “very proud because he was willing to do that for me and our family.”
Father’s Day is a time to reflect on how tobacco use impacts loved ones. Kids from families who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers themselves, even though most fathers don’t want to pass tobacco use on to their children.
To assist Oklahoma fathers on their quit journeys, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline offers Oklahomans the opportunity to quit with free, personalized assistance, including text, phone and coach support. Oklahomans interested in quitting tobacco may also access free text and email support, along with free patches, gum or lozenges.
Now through June 30, Oklahomans who sign up for the Helpline will get at least eight weeks of patches, gum or lozenges for free to aid their quit. Oklahoma teens age 13–17 can get help to quit tobacco and vaping through My Life, My Quit. Learn more about this free service or enroll at MyLifeMyQuit.com or by texting “Start My Quit” to 36072.
This Father’s Day, consider a healthier life for yourself and your family by quitting tobacco. Call 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669), text READY to 34191 or visit OKhelpline.com to explore all the free quit tools available to Oklahomans. You can also connect with the Helpline through social media by liking the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline on Facebook or following @OKhelpline on Twitter and Instagram.
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The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline is a free service for Oklahomans wanting to help themselves, loved ones, patients or employees live tobacco free. Funding is primarily provided by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline has served more than 490,000 Oklahomans since 2003 and has been ranked among the top quitlines for reaching tobacco users seeking treatment for the last 10 years by the North American Quitline Consortium.
My Life, My Quit is a free program to help Oklahoma teens, ages 13-17, quit tobacco and e-cigarettes. By offering free live texting, web chat and phone calls, My Life, My Quit supports teens through the steps of quitting tobacco. Funded by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, these free services for Oklahoma teens can be found at MyLifeMyQuit.com or by texting “Start My Quit” to 36072.
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. By providing leadership to local coalitions and initiatives across the state, TSET is cultivating innovative and life-changing research while working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the health of all Oklahomans. To learn more, visit Oklahoma.gov/TSET.
