TSET Program Helps Fathers Embrace Smoke-Free Lives
OKLAHOMA CITY — This Father’s Day, June 16, 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 for Oklahomans wanting to quit tobacco — and remain tobacco free.
Brian Brower, a resident of Claremore, smoked for many years. After trying to quit for about three years, Brower decided to quit for his daughter.
“I remember she was sitting in the passenger seat, I had lit a cigarette up, and she was just looking out the window. I could tell she was just happy to be with dad,” Brower said. “I saw that smoke kind of roll right over into her face, and I remember thinking it was terrible. It was a terrible feeling to have, and I decided that I was going to put an honest effort into quitting. If it wasn’t for the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, I would still be smoking cigarettes today.”
To help fathers, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline offers registrants personalized quit plans that include text and email support from trained Coaches, live online group sessions and free patches, gum or lozenges.
Tobacco use remains a serious problem among Oklahoma men. While the national smoking rate among men is 13.2%, in Oklahoma, it’s 16.6%. Smokers put themselves at high risk for developing smoking-related health issues like lung cancer, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. Through secondhand smoke, they risk endangering the health of their families.
Kids from families who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers themselves, even though most fathers don’t want their children to begin using tobacco.
The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline offers tips on how to protect children and families from the dangers of smoke and secondhand smoke:
• Avoid places that allow tobacco use to protect children from secondhand smoke.
• Maintain a tobacco-free home and vehicle.
• Educate your children about the dangers of smoking and tobacco use at an early age. Get age-specific conversation starters and talking points at StopsWithMe.com.
• Ask your child about their friends’ attitudes toward tobacco. Talk about peer pressure and how to deal with it.
• Listen to what your child says and thinks about smoking. Clear up any misunderstandings they may have.
Call 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669), text READY to 34191 or visit OKhelpline.com to explore all the free services and resources available. Connect with the Helpline through social media by liking the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline on Facebook or following @OKhelpline on 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 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 had more than half a million registrations 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.
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. To learn more, go to Oklahoma.gov/TSET.
TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health