Thursday will mark the 33rd annual Great American Smokeout, a day that endeavors to reach out and help smokers trying to quit and honor the efforts of those who already have.

The West Cook Regional Office of the American Cancer Society has spent months planning what it will do to celebrate the event. Involved in planning efforts for the Riverside-based office has been registered nurse Maryjo Osowski, who works on its Regional Leadership Board. The La Grange Park resident has her master of science in nursing and is an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse.

Having quit smoking four decades ago, Osowski knows well the challenges of leaving the habit behind. She also knows the danger of what can happen otherwise, as a result of her work as oncology coordinator at Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park.

Q What is the Great American Smokeout all about?

A The Great American Smokeout is a day the American Cancer Society uses as a platform to educate the public of the dangers associated with tobacco use and cigarette smoking and to encourage current smokers to stop. It’s a big educational effort and also a celebration of the efforts of all of the people who have quit — those who quit a few months ago still on the road to recovery and those who quit five or 10 years ago who still remember how hard it was for them.

Q What is the history of the annual event?

A It really started in November of 1977 in California. People worked on it in various states until 1990, when the ban of smoking on all airplanes and interstate bus trips took effect. It really started to pick up speed after that because those were the first big areas where smoking was not allowed. Restaurants and movie theaters followed, but I remember when everywhere you went there was a cloud of smoke.

Q What are some of the challenges of quitting smoking?

A We tend to know that alcohol, cocaine and heroin are addictions, but the fact that tobacco is an addiction is not in the public consciousness as much as we’d like it to be. People don’t always know tobacco use is just as strong an addiction as cocaine and heroin, so when you think of those things, you realize why it’s so hard for people to quit.

Want to quit smoking?
Call the American Cancer Society’s West Cook Regional Office at (708) 484-8541.