RAPID CITY - As one who started smoking at age 12 but stopped a decade ago, Clayton Hieb has two words to say about tobacco: "It stinks."

For the 31st Annual Great American Smokeout, the Rapid City man wants the thousands of Black Hills area and the 45 million smokers in the United States to give up their stinky habit for 24 hours on Thursday, Nov. 15.

To break the addiction, the American Cancer Society has set up Thursday's quit date.

"We're asking everyone throughout the country to give up tobacco and that includes the smokeless tobacco, not just cigarettes," said Charlotte Hofer, media relations manager for the American Cancer Society in South Dakota.

On Thursday, smokers should know that they will have the support of all kinds of people not only in their hometowns but across the state, Hofer said.

"If you can do it for a day, you can do it for the rest of your life," Hofer said.

Michelle Sauvage of the American Cancer Society in Rapid City knows if people can make it through that first day, "they can give it up for a lifetime."

"A lot of people don't attempt to stop smoking because they think they can't stop smoking," Sauvage said. "After stopping for one day, it's not as hard as they think. They realize at the end of the day that they can do it again tomorrow and the next day."

Without the use of nicotine patches or other methods, Hieb went cold turkey to break his habit. He knows if he can break this 42-year-old addiction, others can, too.

"I despise tobacco," Hieb said.

On June 6, 1997, Hieb struggled to breathe while taking a shower, where the humidity of the hot water left him breathless and lightheaded. "I thought to myself, 'How stupid,'" he said. "Smoking ruled my life."

While Hieb, 66, was fortunate to have been able to throw away his three-pack-a-day addiction, many in his family weren't as lucky.

Hieb's father's asthma was aggravated by smoking to the point of death; his father-in-law's smoking contributed to an aggressive lung cancer, which killed him; an older brother quit, yet he developed emphysema and died; another brother who smoked had to have one lung removed and became so depressed over his poor health that he committed suicide; and another brother has only 40 percent lung capacity and is on full-time oxygen.

"I was able to walk away," Hieb said.

Hieb credits his wife, Peggy, for her understanding and support during the initial phase of breaking away from smoking. He described his disposition at that time as being comparable to that of a bear in his first week of going smokeless. Peggy Hieb had stopped smoking for a length of seven years before quitting permanently six years ago.

Some of Hieb's tips include:

* Eating sunflower seeds, which filled his craving for something good to taste and his need to keep his hands busy.

* Change of lifestyle: Hieb had to choose smoke-free restaurants, stores and pubs because the smoky atmospheres of his favorite hangouts were too powerful.

* Hieb sadly had to stay away from his smoking buddies if they couldn't refrain from smoking when he was with them.

* Giving up learned behavior: Hieb figured out how to avoid his cigarette craving when having a beer or a cup of coffee by choosing something else to drink like water or tea.

* Speak up: If someone is lighting a cigarette next to him, Hieb asks them to put it out.

As difficult as it was to stop, he won't risk his health for someone else's smoking habit.

"They're endangering my life with that secondhand smoke," he said.

Great American Smokeout tips

The American Cancer Society's Web site offers a variety of tips, planning and contacts for the Great American Smokeout on Thursday, which lists telephone contacts for support, quit plans and other sources at www.cancer.org/greatamericans. Use the ideas below to help you keep your commitment to quitting.

* Avoid temptation - Stay away from people and places where you are tempted to smoke.

* Change your habits - Switch to juices or water instead of alcohol or coffee, take a different route to work or take a brisk walk instead of a coffee break.

* Alternatives - Use oral substitutes such as sugarless gum, hard candy, raw vegetables, cinnamon sticks or sunflower seeds.

* Activities - Do something to reduce your stress such as exercise, needlework, woodworking, taking a hot bath, reading a book or spending time with a hobby.

* Deep breathing - Breathe deeply while picturing the lungs filling with fresh, clean air. Remind yourself of the reasons for quitting and the benefits gained as an ex-smoker.

* Delay - If you feel you're about to light up, delay. Tell yourself you must wait at least 10 minutes. Often this simple trick will allow you to move beyond the strong urge to smoke.

* Reward - What you're doing is not easy; you deserve a reward. Put the money you would have spent on tobacco in a jar every day and then buy yourself a weekly treat such as a magazine, long-distance call to a friend, dinner out or save it for a major purchase. You also can reward yourself in ways that don't cost money: visit a park, library, develop a new hobby or take a yoga class.

Four steps to success:

Make the decision to quit.

Set a quit date and choose a quit plan.

Deal with withdrawal.

Stay quit (maintain success).

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.