It takes strength to quit smoking Published July 16, 2010 By Diane Mayer TriWest Healthcare Alliance LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- There are more than 1,000 people who die every day in the United States that could have prevented their own deaths. That's because those 1,000 people died from tobacco-caused diseases, the leading reason for preventable death in the United States, according to the American Lung Association. The key here is that these deaths are preventable. The power lies in each person's hands. "My dad smoked his entire life, and I think that smoking is what, in fact, killed him eventually," said Navy Surgeon General Vice Admiral Adam Robinson in a video interview posted on TRICARE's Tobacco-Free Web site, www.trica.mil/tobaccofree. "But, I wasn't thinking about that. I just thought it was a cool thing to do, and I wanted to smoke too." "The reason I stopped smoking was because of my patients," he said. "Kicking an addiction is probably amongst the strongest things that we will ever do." Ready to quit? Tools for success: - www.ucanquit2.org: The site offers interactive, Web-based tobacco cessation training, real-time live encouragement with trained tobacco cessation coaches, quit plan and calendar, text quit tips, savings calculator, games and much more. - Online resources including web chat. - TriWest's dedicated toll free telephone Quitline, (866) 244-6870, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. - TriWest.com's tobacco cessation page, www.triwest.com/tobacco, provides information about local and statewide resources as well as tools and tips to help with quitting. - TRICARE's Tobacco-Free Web site, www.tricare.mil/tobaccofree Help is only a phone call away - Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays - Trained smoking cessation coaches will assess each individual's stage of the smoking cessation process and recommend appropriate treatment and resources to quit smoking or remain smoke free - All non-Medicare eligible beneficiaries can receive assistance.