Smoking & How To Quit

Smoking
and
How to Quit Smoking

Medical Revising Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Revising Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD

• What problems are caused by smoking?
• What is addictive disease and why is smoking considered addictive?
• What are the signs of cigarette addiction?
• Why should someone quit smoking?
• What are the steps in quitting?
  • Getting ready to quit smoking
  • On the day you quit smoking
  • Staying quit
• What methods can help a person quit smoking?
  • Behavioral modification and self-help literature to quit smoking
  • Nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking
• What prescription products are available for smoking cessation?
• How are nicotine-containing products used safely?
• What is in the future for smoking?
• Smoking and Quitting Smoking At A Glance
• Related articles on how to quit smoking:
  Quit smoking - on WebMD

FREE Help to Smoking Cessation Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD According to the American Lung Association, over 45.7 million Americans have already overcome the nicotine habit. Lots of these people have tried quitting several times before finally being able to quit, so would-be nonsmokers who want to stop but haven't been able to stop, should not feel discouraged from trying again to quit smoking . The onset of a new year, or the beginning of any new phase in your life, is a particularly good time to make the healthy choice of a tobacco-free life. Breaking any habit or making lifestyle changes is always easier if you have support. The American Lung Association is helping people kick the habit with its online smoking cessation program, Freedom From Smoking®. This is a free service that: teaches individuals to understand the reasons for their smoking habit, improves relaxation and stress management skills, presents information on nicotine replacement therapy and the medical and emotional effects of withdrawal, and helps individuals develop long-term strategies for smoke-free living. Read about this free smoking cessation program » Top Searched Quit Smoking Terms: how to quit smoking, help quit smoking, quit smoking pill, quit smoking tips, benefits of quitting smoking, quit smoking and weight gain

What problems are caused by smoking?

By smoking, you can cause health problems not only for yourself but also for those around you.

Hurting Yourself

Smoking is an addiction. Tobacco contains nicotine, a drug that is addictive. The nicotine, therefore, makes it very difficult (although not impossible) to quit. In fact, since the U.S. Surgeon General's 1964 report on the dangers of smoking, millions of Americans have quit. Still, more than 430,000 deaths occur in the U.S. each year from smoking-related illnesses. The reason for these deaths is that smoking greatly increases the risk of getting lung cancer, heart attack, chronic lung disease, stroke, and many other cancers. Moreover, smoking is perhaps the most preventable cause of breathing (respiratory) diseases within the USA.

Hurting Others

Smoking harms not just the smoker, but also family members, coworkers, and others who breathe the smoker's cigarette smoke, called secondhand smoke or passive smoke. Among infants up to 18 months of age, secondhand smoke is associated with as many as 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia each year. In addition, secondhand smoke from a parent's cigarette increases a child's chances for middle ear problems, causes coughing and wheezing, worsens asthma, and increases an infant's risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Exposure to passive smoke can also cause cancer. Research has shown that non-smokers who reside with a smoker have a 24% increase in risk for developing lung cancer when compared with other non-smokers. An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths occur each year in the U.S. that are attributable to passive smoking. Secondhand smoke also increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. If both parents smoke, a teenager is more than twice as likely to smoke as a teenager whose parents are both nonsmokers. Even in households where only one parent smokes, young people are more likely to start smoking. Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to deliver babies whose weights are too low for the babies' good health. In fact, it has been estimated that if all women quit smoking during pregnancy, about 4,000 new babies would not die each year.

Next: What is addictive disease and why is smoking considered addictive? »

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