Celebrate Your Independence—Proud, Strong, and Tobacco-Free
You are proud to serve your country, and you work hard to be ready for any mission that comes along. Readiness and performance begin with how you look and feel. Commitment and training not only boost your strength, speed, agility, and stamina—they also make you look fit, strong, and healthy.
How are you staying at the top of your game? Are you working out to be trimmer, rock solid, or ripped? To gain an edge when you compete? Are you positive and focused? If so, well done!
Yet, like many service members, you may be smoking or dipping. You may use tobacco for social reasons or because it’s hard to say no. You may think tobacco helps you perform better by keeping you awake and alert or helping you relax. You may think the chances of harm from tobacco are small and far off.
In fact, tobacco use can cause major health problems in the future. But what’s the impact now? While you strive to be at your best, tobacco is working against you:
- Smokers tend to be slower, have less endurance, get less done, and get sick or hurt more than nonsmokers.
- Tobacco use by service members takes away from the professional, strong, healthy image you want to present.
- The nicotine in tobacco is addictive. It causes highs and lows that keep you coming back for more. That can sour your mood and cut your ability to think clearly and react quickly.
- The bottom line: Tobacco not only affects you—it also takes away from your unit’s mission readiness.
If looking, feeling, and doing your best are important to you, it’s time to think about quitting. The Fourth of July is a great chance to show your pride and commitment by declaring your freedom from tobacco.
Whether you’re ready to quit or just starting to think about it, Quit Tobacco—Make Everyone Proud is here with the support you need, such as:
If you are helping military personnel to quit tobacco, Quit Tobacco—Make Everyone Proud tools and resources can help you guide them to success.