Helping Sports Fans RootFor Better Health (NAPSA)—It may come as a surprise to some, but a recent sur- vey conducted on behalf of Legacy by the Opinion Research Corporation discovered that too many considerably health-conscious people are harming their own health. The study found that 63 percent of sports fans are current or former smokers, and 76 percent of them have smoked while watching or attending sporting events. Additionally, 60 percent of sports fans have been exposed to secondhand smoke in the past year while watching or attending sporting events, and 36 percent of sports fans who smoke or used to smoke are extremely or very tempted to smoke while viewing sporting events in their own homes. There are a few ways fans might kick the habit for good. Legacyoffers these tips to help: Practice And Prep Know your smoking triggers and what to do when they occur. For instance, nearly a third of survey respondents say they are extremely or very tempted to light up when the score of the gameis close. “Re-learning” their thinking on the behavioral aspects of smoking and how they can overcome such triggersis key. Getting Help Re-learn your knowledge of addiction and how medications can increase the chance of quitting success. A Team Effort According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of smokers in America want to quit, but only about 5 percent are successful in quitting long-term. Relearn your ideas of how support from friends and family can play a critical role in your quitting. Don’t Be Fooled Images of athletes using smokeless tobacco, both snuff and chew, may mislead many sports fans. Eight million Americans ages 12 and older use smokeless tobacco products, and, annually, a million more begin using them. Adolescents who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to become cigarette smokers. Reasons To Quit Quitting smoking is one of the most important lifestyle changes people can make to improve and extend their lives. Tobacco-related disease is the leading cause of premature death in the United States, so smokers need to be armed with information to make the best, most-informed choices about the smoking cessation resources. The National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation (NATC) and Legacy encourage America’s 43 million smokers to visit www.BecomeAnEX.org for a free, comprehensive, easy-to-follow, three-step plan to “re-learn life without cigarettes.” The program helps smokers learn how to change patterns of behavior, informs them about addiction and helps them get the support they need to quit. Tools used in the program are designed in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and with input from former and current smokers to provide a realistic approach with evidencebased research.
