On this second annual “Minnesota Quitter’s Day” some smokers are saying goodbye to all tobacco use in the new year.
A program within the state health department, Quit Partner, connects "quitters" with coaches and online resources to keep them on track.
Mike Sheldon is the communication coordinator for the program and says on average, it takes people eight to ten attempts to quit.
"If you're trying to quit cold turkey, unfortunately folks are successful only about 3% of the time," Sheldon explains. "If you got the professional support and services like you can get through Quit Partner, you're much more likely to quit successfully. And so that's why we want to encourage people, to know that they don't have to do it alone."
Sheldon says it's free to join and since last years inaugural “Quitter’s Day” nearly 4,500 Minnesotans have enrolled in the program.
Governor Tim Walz proclaimed January 10th as "Quitter’s Day” in 2024, with the goal to cut down on the stigma around taking multiple attempts to quit tobacco use.
Sheldon leads the quitter's movement in Minnesota.
"Quit Partner is a free service," he says. "It is available for any Minnesota resident. You can kind of pick and choose the level of support that you want. We have everything from phone coaching, so you can talk to quit coach over the phone. They can really help work through a quid plan with you. You can also get additional support medications, so patches, gum, or lozenges."
For more information on the program you can visit quitpartnermn.com.