Go Tobacco Free This Father’s Day

Free resources can help you reclaim your health

OKLAHOMA CITY (June 8, 2022) — With Father’s Day approaching, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (OTH), a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), is encouraging fathers to take a powerful step toward reclaiming their health by quitting tobacco.

The Helpline offers free services to assist Oklahomans on their quitting journey, including access to free text and email support. Plus, those who sign up for the Helpline’s All Access plan before June 30 will get eight weeks of patches, gum or lozenges and five Quit Coach calls for free. That’s four times more than traditionally offered.

Tobacco remains a serious problem among Oklahoma men. More than 20% report being smokers and nearly 14% use smokeless tobacco. Male tobacco users are at higher risk of developing numerous health problems, including cancers, heart disease, lung diseases and diabetes.

Firefighter and father Shaun Pryor of Edmond was a smoker and smokeless tobacco user for many years. After suffering a heart attack in his early 30s, he began his journey to a tobacco-free life, thanks to his son’s urging. With the help of free services provided by OTH, Pryor was able to successfully quit. After seeing the improvements in his father’s health, his son has also become a proud advocate for tobacco-free living.

“The people I talked to when I called 1-800-QUIT NOW were so encouraging – I had people in my corner that I didn’t expect,” Pryor said. “Now my son has joined me in speaking out against young kids vaping and staying smokefree. He’s become a proud advocate beside me to urge others to stay smokefree and utilize the free services from the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline.”

Paola Klein, OTH coordinator, said the customizable resources provided by the Helpline are designed to give users the best possible chance to quit successfully. This helps give Oklahoma fathers more time with their families.

"All of our resources are tailored to the specific needs of each user, depending on their lifestyle and personal preferences," she said. "This Father's Day, we encourage Oklahomans who want to quit or are even thinking about quitting to call the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline to give their family the gift of a healthy, tobacco-free life."

Father’s Day is also a time to talk with family about the impact of tobacco use on loved ones. Studies have shown that children with parents who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers themselves.

For Oklahoma teens struggling with tobacco use, My Life My Quit, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, is providing resources to assist in the process of quitting. The free program offers live text support, web chat and phone coaching for teens ages 13-17 who struggle with tobacco use. To sign up for services, teens can simply text “Start My Quit” to 36072 or visit MyLifeMyQuit.com.

This Father’s Day, choose a healthier life for yourself and your family by quitting tobacco. Call 1-800-QUIT NOW (1- 800-784-8669) or visit OKhelpline.com to explore the free services and resources available to Oklahomans.

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. TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health. To learn more, go to oklahoma. gov/tset.

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 served more than 470,000 Oklahomans 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.

My Life, My Quit is a free program to help Oklahoma teens, ages 13-17, quit tobacco and e-cigarettes. By offering free live texting, web chat and phone calls, My Life, My Quit supports teens through the steps of quitting tobacco. Funded by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, these free services for Oklahoma teens can be found at MyLifeMyQuit.com or by texting “Start My Quit” to 36072.