In the spirit of the Great American Smokeout, the DeKalb County Health Department, along with local restaurants, is doing its part to help smokers quit.

The Smokeout started in 1977 by the American Cancer Society to get smokers to quit smoking permanently by taking it one day at a time.

For one day, smokers are encouraged not to smoke with the hopes they would feel better about not smoking for more days, said Lisa Yaklich, health educator at the DeKalb County Health Department.

This event takes place annually on the third Thursday of November.

“It’s good to try and quit for one day, but I’m going to try and quit permanently,” said Zachery Stechman, a sophomore pre-physical therapy major.

About 40 million adult smokers participate in this annual event, Yaklich said.

The likelihood of permanently quitting is more likely if the smoker uses some sort of therapy or aid to help him or her quit.

Only one in seven adult smokers reported having tried to quit using some sort of pharmacological treatment or behavioral counseling, but it usually takes smokers about seven tries before they permanently quit, Yaklich said.

A tobacco quit-line is available, 1-866-QUIT-YES, and is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. The hotline is a source for information on how to quit.

“We also publish the DeKalb Smoke-Free Dining Guide, which lists the DeKalb County restaurants who participate in the Illinois Smoke-Free Restaurant Recognition Program through the Illinois Department of Public Health,” Yaklich said.

The House, 263 E. Lincoln Highway, is one of the restaurants in the guide. “Not allowing smoking gives a general classier feel,” said Eric Havel, manager of The House.

The House does not feel threatened at all by restaurants that do allow smoking, he said.

The Junction, 816 W. Lincoln Highway, does allow smoking inside the restaurant, which is a policy that has not changed since its opening in 1978, said Chris Bahramis, manager of The Junction.

“We do close off the smoking section during dinner hours,” he said.

The Junction would be threatened if the city of DeKalb decided to ban smoking in all restaurants .

Bahramis said smokers would drive to the next town to find a place to eat and smoke.

The DeKalb Smoke-Free Dining Guide is available online at www.dekalbcountyhealthdepartment.org.