Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline Encourages Oklahomans to Quit Tobacco During American Heart Month

Heal Your Heart and Quit Tobacco for Good with FREE Services

OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 03, 2022) February is American Heart Month. Along with celebrating Valentine’s Day, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline encourages Oklahomans to think of their loved ones and their own heart health. This month is a great time to significantly reduce the risk of heart disease by quitting tobacco. The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline is a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET).

The CDC reported that heart disease is a leading cause of death in the U.S., resulting in about 660,000 deaths each year. The chemicals in tobacco damage blood vessels and the heart. Smokers are more likely to have high blood pressure which damages arteries that may become blocked and prevent blood flow to the heart. The good news is that heart disease is largely preventable, and quitting tobacco will improve your heart health and decrease your chances of heart disease.

The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline offers FREE support and customizable services to Oklahomans thinking about quitting tobacco. In addition to phone coaching, web coaching, motivational texts and email support, the Helpline provides free patches, gum or lozenges. These options give Oklahomans the flexibility to create a Quit Plan that fits their needs.

There are also many free tools available at OKhelpline.com to help Oklahomans maintain a tobacco-free life. Staying tobacco free for one year reduces your risk for heart disease by half, and after 15 years without tobacco, the risk of heart disease is nearly the same as a non-tobacco user.

“We know that most tobacco users want to quit. While they may have tried many times in the past, using the free services from the Helpline might be the answer they are looking for,” said Paola Klein, Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline coordinator. “Whether it is a first attempt or fifteenth, the Helpline is here for all Oklahomans and uses evidence-based methods to increase your likelihood of successfully quitting.”

Call 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit OKhelpline.com to explore the free services and resources available to Oklahomans. You can also connect with the Helpline through Facebook or by following us @OKhelpline on Twitter and Instagram.

For Oklahoma youth wanting to tackle nicotine addiction, My Life, My Quit provides teens ages 13-17 tailored resources for quitting tobacco and vapes. The text-based program offers free and confidential help from a quit coach specially trained to listen to teens. MLMQ also helps teens navigate social situations that involve tobacco or vaping and helps teens find healthy ways to cope with stress. These free services can be found at MyLifeMyQuit.com or by texting “Start My Quit” to 36072.

###

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 470,000 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 Oklahoma 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 www.ok.gov/tset.

TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health