More Reasons and More Help Than Ever to Quit

In the News » More Reasons and More Help Than Ever to Quit

Quitting smoking is at the top of the to-do list for many San Diego County residents. With the largest federal tax on tobacco in American history taking effect April 1, the California Smokers Helpline reports receiving 4,791 calls in March 2009 alone, up 70% from the same month in 2008. To help with this increased demand, SmokeFreeSanDiego.org is featuring a comprehensive new list of resources found at the “Quitting Smoking? Help is Here” button or by clicking here (link to internal page Cessation Resources).

An exciting new addition to San Diegans’ options for quitting, the I Quit program, was just launched as part of the Body Worlds Exhibition at the San Diego Natural History Museum in partnership with the American Lung Association. One of the many dramatic displays in the Museum features blackened smokers’ lungs compared to healthy lungs. This striking comparison has moved visitors to quit smoking, so much so, that now there is a special receptacle to hold discarded cigarette packs. I Quit also features an inspirational multimedia presentation, pledge cards for visitors intending to quit which contain information about the SmokeFreeSanDiego.org website and the California Smokers’ Helpline, and take home information about the hazards of smoking. I Quit will run from April 15 through the end of the Body Worlds exhibit on October 4th.

I Quit was conceived after exhibition cleaning crews kept finding unfinished packs of cigarettes on the glass display case containing the smoker’s lung. “Each rejected pack marked a victory by one person against nicotine addiction,” said Dr. Angelina Whalley, a physician, and designer of the Body Worlds exhibitions. “Many visitors to the exhibition reported that they had tried everything but only stopped after seeing the smoker’s lung,” said Whalley.

Tickets to Body Worlds are available online at www.sdnhm.org, by phone 877.946.7797 and in person at the Museum in Balboa Park.

Click here for a discount coupon to attend the Body Worlds exhibit, good through May 7.