The Great American Smokeout

The Great American Smokeout encourages smokers to put their health first by making a commitment to quit smoking for good.

History of the Event

The Great American Smokeout grew out of state and local events. In 1972, Arthur P. Mullaney, a high school guidance counselor in Randolph, Massachusetts, challenged smokers in town to quit for the day and donate the money saved to a scholarship fund for students. The event raised $4,500 and enough enthusiasm to become an annual event. The local campaign caught the attention of the American Cancer Society, which helped support and market the event in 1974.

Further west in the small village of Monticello, Minnesota (population 1,700), a similar event was organized in 1974 by newspaper editor Lynn R. Smith. Dubbed "D-Day" (i.e., "Don't Smoke Day"), the event challenged all smokers in Monticello to quit for 1 day. Smith published the names of 250 local smokers who pledged to quit for D-Day and covered the cessation campaign for weeks before and after the event. A follow-up survey conducted 100 days after D-Day found that nearly 10% of the smokers in Monticello who quit for the day had not resumed smoking. The success of the local event prompted Smith to organize a statewide D-Day in Minnesota later that same year.

The idea of a don't smoke day caught on, and by 1976, the California division of the American Cancer Society (ACS) organized a powerhouse event that got nearly 1 million smokers to quit for at least 1 day.  ACS then launched the first national quit smoking day in November of 1977 and branded it the "Great American Smokeout" or "GASO." Every year since 1977, ACS hosts GASO on the third Thursday in November.

GASO is celebrated throughout the United States with parades, speeches, rallies, press releases, and other media events. GASO encourages smokers to commit to making a long-term plan to quit smoking for good. GASO encourages smokers to use the date to make their plan to quit or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day.

A Stage for Change

GASO helps spotlight the dangers of tobacco use and the challenges of quitting. It has also set the stage for change in social norms related to smoking. Dramatic changes have occurred since the first GASO in 1977. In 1978, about 34% of adults smoked. By 2009, that number dropped to 20.6%. Before GASO, smoking was common on airplanes and in public places. Federal laws now prohibit smoking on airlines, and 25 states and the District of Columbia have comprehensive smoking bans that protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure in restaurants, bars, and workplaces.

Recent federal efforts have also expanded insurance coverage of smoking cessation treatments. As of October 1, 2010, Medicaid programs are required to cover tobacco dependence treatments for pregnant women. In 2011, Medicare tobacco cessation treatment will be expanded to cover all smokers (previously, treatment was only covered for smokers diagnosed with a tobacco-related disease). In 2011, cessation coverage will also be available to all federal employees, retirees, and their spouses and dependents.

Despite progress made in reducing smoking and expanding cessation coverage, an estimated 46.6 million adults in the United States still smoke. Even more troubling, about 40% of nonsmokers (and 54% of children aged 3–11 years) in the United States are exposed to secondhand smoke, and an estimated 443,000 deaths each year are attributed to smoking and secondhand smoke.

Local, state, and national efforts surrounding GASO help confront the tobacco epidemic. GASO increases community awareness of the dangers of smoking and emphasizes the rights of nonsmokers to breathe smoke-free air in public places. GASO provides an opportunity for:

• Tobacco users to make a quit attempt, adding years to their lives
• Friends, family, and health care professionals to encourage and support quit attempts
• Media professionals to run stories encouraging quitting
• Governmental and nongovernmental organizations to redouble their efforts to make our environment more conducive to quitting than continuing to use tobacco

Challenges of Quitting

Nicotine is the psychoactive drug in tobacco products that produces dependence. Nicotine dependence is the most common form of chemical dependence in the United States. Most smokers are dependent on nicotine, and research suggests that nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Quitting smoking can be difficult, and may require multiple attempts. Users often relapse because of stress, weight gain, and withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and increased appetite.  But proven cessation treatments can help smokers ease withdrawal symptoms and succeed in quitting. And many smokers still manage to quit "cold turkey" simply by trying. The most important thing non-smokers can do to help smokers they know is offer continued encouragement and support. The most important thing smokers can do is keep trying until they succeed. More than half of all Americans who once smoked have quit. 

Importance of Quitting

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. One in two long-term smokers will die from a smoking-related disease. For every person who dies from smoking, another 20 people are living with serious smoking-related chronic diseases. Smoking costs the United States $96 billion in medical expenses and $97 billion in lost productivity annually. Quitting smoking is the single most important action that smokers can take to protect their own health and their families' health.

Benefits of Quitting

Smoking cessation has major and immediate health benefits for men and women of all ages. And those health benefits apply to people with or without smoking-related disease. Former smokers live longer than continuing smokers, and smoking cessation decreases the risk for lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.

For Support to Quit

Millions of former smokers have successfully quit. In fact, today there are more former smokers than smokers. For support in quitting, including free quit coaching, a free quit plan, free educational materials, and referrals to local resources, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669); TTY 1-800-332-8615.

Also, www.smokefree.gov provides immediate assistance in the form of an online step-by-step cessation guide; instant messaging service; tools and publications that can be downloaded, printed, or ordered; and more.

More Information

• American Cancer Society Web site