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8-20-01

Hoosiers Invited to Quit 2 Win

State officials are inviting Indiana citizens who use tobacco to enter a free, statewide "Quit 2 Win" contest. Hoosiers who pledge to stop using tobacco between September 15 and October 15 will be entered in to a random drawing for prizes. Since July 19, more than 1,000 people have signed up to enter the contest.

The top prize for Quit 2 Win is $2,500. Other prizes include:

  • Live Nation (Verizon Wireless Music Center "grass pass" for 2 for the entire 2008 summer concert series)
  • Race car driver Lyn St. James - a "ride along" experience in a genuine IndyCar-style race car around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
  • Indiana State Fair Tickets (10 tickets for the 2008 Indiana State Fair)
  • Holiday World and Splashin' Safari admission passes

To enter the contest, you must be at least 18 years of age, a resident of Indiana, and a regular smoker or user of spit or smokeless tobacco. Winners will be tested to make sure they are tobacco-free. To enter online, simply visit the INShape Indiana Web site at www.inshape.IN.gov and click on the "Quit 2 Win" icon.

The Quit 2 Win contest is being supported by hundreds of local fairs, festivals and businesses throughout Indiana as well as in radio ads featuring Gov. Mitch Daniels and NASCAR driver Ryan Newman.

To further promote the Quit 2 Win contest, more than 16,000 "payroll stuffers" have been printed and are being provided to large employers throughout Indiana.

More than one million adults smoke cigarettes in Indiana and 89% say they want to quit sometime in the future. Indiana ranks fifth in the nation for smoking.

Quit 2 Win is part of Indiana's statewide campaign, "Time 2 Quit," aimed to reduce tobacco use because "there's never been a better time to quit smoking."

At a news conference to launch the Time 2 Quit campaign, Gov. Mitch Daniels said, "We are committed to helping anyone who is ready to quit smoking get access to the resources they need to be successful. Now is the time to make Indiana a more healthy state."

Health officials say Indiana's smoking rate can be dramatically improved if Hoosiers who are ready to quit smoking take one or more of these four simple steps:

  • Go see their health care provider and ask for help;
  • Call the Indiana Tobacco Quit Line, 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669), for help;
  • Access community resources available through local Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation coalitions, local hospitals and health organizations;
  • Visit http://www.inshape.in.gov/ for tobacco cessation tips.

"Smoking is not merely a habit; it's a powerful addiction that is killing Hoosiers," says State Health Commissioner Judy Monroe, M.D. "Cigarette smoking causes more deaths than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined."

Quit 2 Win is being sponsored by INShape Indiana and Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation (ITPC). Governor Daniels' INShape Indiana Program challenges every individual in this state to adopt healthier behaviors, including: eating well, being more active, and avoiding tobacco.

"We want to help Hoosiers take the pledge to stop using tobacco and get ready to make what will undoubtedly represent one of the most important health decisions of their lives," said Karla Sneegas, executive director, ITPC. "We're already hearing stories of people making the decision to quit and we couldn't be more thrilled than to make available the resources you or a loved one needs to make a change."

"For smokers who are ready to quit, I encourage you to set a date to stop smoking, and then make use of the many resources there are to help you," said Dr. Monroe. "We, as a state, need to pull together and help one another to reduce the burden of tobacco. There has never been a better time to quit."

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