Quit Smoking Now!
Quitting tobacco helps you to:
Live a longer life.
Lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, or cancer.
Have more money in your pocket.
Feel better.
Another nice benefit of quitting is that you no longer have to stand out in the cold because you can’t smoke in the house.
You already know that tobacco is bad for your health. You may bolster your resolve to quit by knowing that:
Tobacco use, especially smoking, contributes to more than 430,000 deaths each year.
Smoking causes 87% of lung cancer cases.
Smoking causes most cases of emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Smoking can harm not only the smoker but also the smoker’s family members and coworkers through secondhand smoke.
Smoking can cause sexual problems and infertility.
Heart attack and stroke. Smoking even a few cigarettes a day (1 to 4) increases your risk of coronary artery disease. If a person who smokes has a heart attack, his or her risk of sudden death is twice as great as the risk of a person who does not smoke.
As soon as you quit smoking, your risk of heart attack and stroke begins to decrease. If you already have coronary artery disease, your risk of a second heart attack and possible sudden death decreases when you quit smoking. Use this tool to find out your risk of having a heart attack: Interactive Tool: How Does Smoking Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack?
Lung cancer and other lung diseases. After 10 years of not smoking, your risk of lung cancer is reduced by 30% to 50%. If you have asthma, you may have fewer and less severe asthma attacks. You will also have fewer respiratory illnesses, such as colds, flu, and pneumonia.
Other cancers. After you quit, your risk for developing cancers of the voice box (larynx), mouth, throat, esophagus, intestines, bladder, kidney, and pancreas gradually declines.
Impotence and fertility problems. Men who quit smoking are less likely to develop problems achieving and maintaining an erection. Women who quit smoking are less likely to have problems becoming pregnant.
Gum disease and other dental problems. Smoking can lead to gum (periodontal) disease. People who smoke are twice as likely to lose teeth as people who do not smoke.
Early death. No matter how old you are or how long you’ve been smoking, quitting reduces your risk for developing life-threatening health problems. Use this tool to find out how much smoking decreases your life span: Interactive Tool: How Does Smoking Affect Your Life Span?
In addition to reducing your risk of diseases in the future, you will notice some immediate benefits after you stop using tobacco. Your shortness of breath and asthma symptoms will likely get better within the first 2 to 4 weeks after you quit. On the other hand, you may cough more in the first week after you quit because your lungs are trying to clear themselves.
Heart attack and stroke. Smoking even a few cigarettes a day (1 to 4) increases your risk of coronary artery disease. If a person who smokes has a heart attack, his or her risk of sudden death is twice as great as the risk of a person who does not smoke.
As soon as you quit smoking, your risk of heart attack and stroke begins to decrease. If you already have coronary artery disease, your risk of a second heart attack and possible sudden death decreases when you quit smoking. Use this tool to find out your risk of having a heart attack: Interactive Tool: How Does Smoking Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack?
Lung cancer and other lung diseases. After 10 years of not smoking, your risk of lung cancer is reduced by 30% to 50%. If you have asthma, you may have fewer and less severe asthma attacks. You will also have fewer respiratory illnesses, such as colds, flu, and pneumonia.
Other cancers. After you quit, your risk for developing cancers of the voice box (larynx), mouth, throat, esophagus, intestines, bladder, kidney, and pancreas gradually declines.
Impotence and fertility problems. Men who quit smoking are less likely to develop problems achieving and maintaining an erection. Women who quit smoking are less likely to have problems becoming pregnant.
Gum disease and other dental problems. Smoking can lead to gum (periodontal) disease. People who smoke are twice as likely to lose teeth as people who do not smoke.
Early death. No matter how old you are or how long you’ve been smoking, quitting reduces your risk for developing life-threatening health problems. Use this tool to find out how much smoking decreases your life span: Interactive Tool: How Does Smoking Affect Your Life Span?
In addition to reducing your risk of diseases in the future, you will notice some immediate benefits after you stop using tobacco. Your shortness of breath and asthma symptoms will likely get better within the first 2 to 4 weeks after you quit. On the other hand, you may cough more in the first week after you quit because your lungs are trying to clear themselves.
Failure in the past. If you weren’t able to quit in the past, don’t be hard on yourself. Studies show that each time you try to quit, you will be stronger and will have learned more about what helps and what hinders. Most people try to quit many times before it finally sticks.
Alcohol. Drinking alcohol can increase your desire to smoke. You might try temporarily drinking less alcohol during the first 3 weeks after you quit.
Health problems. Are you out of breath when you take the stairs? Are asthma symptoms getting worse? Are you coughing a lot?
Long-term health risks. Are you afraid of having a heart attack or stroke? How about lung disease or cancer?
Risks to others. Do you worry about family members getting lung cancer and heart disease? Are you afraid that your children might start smoking because you do? Are you concerned that your baby may die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) if you smoke? Maybe your children have frequent ear infections. Do you worry about your children developing asthma? 99% of doctors say this can all be prevented if you quit smoking. Here’s a strategy to stop smoking
Set a quit date and stick to it. This is an important step toward becoming tobacco-free. People who did not smoke at all on their quit dates were 10 times more likely to not be smoking 6 months later.
Make some changes. Get rid of all ashtrays and lighters after your last cigarette. Throw away pipes or cans of snuff. Also, get rid of the smell of smoke and other reminders of smoking by cleaning your clothes and your house, including draperies, upholstery, and walls. Don’t let people smoke in your home. Take the lighter out of your car. If you have tried to quit in the past, review those past attempts. Think of the things that helped in those attempts, and plan to use those strategies again this time. Think of things that hindered your success, and plan ways to deal with or avoid them. Once you quit, don’t even take a puff. You may want to try some methods to reduce smoking before your official quit date. You can use a smoking journal to record what triggers your urge to use tobacco. This gives you important information on when it’s toughest for you to resist. After your quit date, don’t smoke at all-not even a puff
Get support
Learn new skills and behaviors
Since you won’t be using tobacco, decide what you are going to do instead. Make a plan to:
Identify and think about ways you can avoid those things that make you reach for a cigarette (smoking triggers), or change your smoking habits and rituals. Think about situations in which you will be at greatest risk for smoking. Make a plan for how you will deal with each situation.
Change your daily routine. Take a different route to work or eat a meal in a different place. Every day, do something that you enjoy.
Cut down on stress. Calm yourself or release tension by reading a book, taking a hot bath, or digging in your garden. See the topic Stress Management for ways to reduce stress in your life.
Get and use medication
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved medications to help people quit smoking. You will double your chances of quitting even if medication is the only treatment you use to quit, but your odds get even better when you combine medication and other quit strategies.
Be prepared for relapse
Most people are not successful the first few times they try to quit smoking. Don’t beat yourself up. Make a list of things you learned, and think about when you want to try again, such as next week, next month, or next spring.
You might try something new next time, such as medication or nicotine replacement therapy. You might try combining tools, such as counseling and medication. Keep trying.
