Do you want to quit smoking? Tobacco Free Month helps you achieve this: support, advice, tips

In France, 32% of adults are smokers, and 25% are regular smokers. “There are fewer smokers than there were twenty years agoconcedes Nicolas Perrin, director of the Lozère joint social security fund, but the number is stagnating.” One in two smokers will die from tobacco. Tobacco is thus the leading cause of death with 75,000 deaths per year in France, 7,325 in Occitanie. In Lozère, tobacco represents 15% of deaths, compared to 13% in Occitanie.

Faced with this observation, “the fight against smoking is one of our priorities, in conjunction with all stakeholders concerned “, explains Xavier Marette, departmental director of the Regional Health Agency (ARS).

See you on October 17 in Marvejols

Everyone is therefore mobilizing for No Tobacco Month, which takes place in November. With the deadline approaching, actions begin on Thursday October 17, 2024 to encourage smokers to participate in this great collective challenge: quitting cigarettes in November. “60% of smokers want to quitposed Xavier Marette. With caring communication, coaching, tools, tobacco-free month is an opportunity to get started.”

This Thursday, October 17, in Marvejols, a day will allow you to prepare for the challenge. In the morning, the event will be held at the Esat la Colagne wood center from 9 a.m. to noon, for all people on the site, workers with disabilities, workshop instructors and others. In the afternoon, from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., the No Tobacco Month tour will take place on the Marvejols esplanade.

Food, stress, weaning: tips

Several partners will come together to receive visitors: Addictions France, the joint social security fund, the regional health agency, the departmental Olympic and sports committee, the dietician from Mende hospital, Souffle lozérien, a sophrologist, speakers from the Antrenas SMR pneumology center or the departmental adapted sports committee.

Stands will offer awareness of the risks of tobacco, information on quitting, physical activity, diet advice to limit weight gain when quitting smoking, stress management advice, etc.

An app and a website

Support kits will be distributed. They contain a 40-day program, starting ten days before the big day. In one page per day, it gives advice and tips, presents nicotine substitutes, offers small challenges as you progress, presents testimonials, etc. Day after day, page after page, this guide will be a kind of coach.

In addition, a smartphone application is available. She offers little games to make you want to light one up, and gives messages of encouragement to support motivation. The website mois-sans-tabac.tabac-info-service.fr is also active; you can register for the challenge there. It lists in particular the health professionals who can support smoking cessation.

A telephone line, 39 89

Without forgetting the telephone line 39 89, which allows you to communicate with a tobacco specialist, who answers free of charge. “Professional help increases the chances of success by 70%. And if we last thirty days, we then have five times more chance of stopping permanently“, insists Xavier Marette.

To get there, you first have to get started. It’s time!