Today is the day to kick the habit

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control wants you stop smoking today.

Today, the Great American Smokeout offers tobacco users an opportunity to "quit for keeps" by opening a Quitline phone support system.

"DHEC encourages South Carolinians who smoke to take advantage of the services our agency offers to help them stop tobacco use on this day set aside for quitting by the American Cancer Society," said Katy Wynne, a tobacco cessation consultant in DHEC's division of Tobacco Prevention and Control. "The S.C. Tobacco Quitline is a free phone-based counseling service available to all state residents.

"According to research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of adult smokers want to quit."

The Quitline is available from 8 a.m. to midnight seven days a week by calling (800) 784-8669.

Callers will be assigned a personal "Quit Coach" who will help them formulate a plan to help them stop smoking.

Aiken Regional Medical Centers spokeswoman Melissa Summer said the hospital has offered smoking cessation classes over the years, particularly after its campus went tobacco free, but has not scheduled any more due to lack of attendance.

Augusta State University will hold a Great American Smokeout event today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Jaguar Student Activities Center breezeway. Those who sign a pledge card and turn in their cigarettes will receive a cold turkey sandwich.

According to the American Cancer Society, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with 30 percent of all cancer deaths caused by tobacco use. Tobacco use increases the risk of cancer of the lung, mouth, nasal cavities, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, uterine, cervix and myeloid leukemia.

For more information, visit www.scdhec.gov/quitforkeeps.