Quit Smoking

www.justkickitnow.com

Nicotine dependence is the most socially acceptable chemical dependence in the United States.

Research suggests that nicotine may be as addictive as heroin, cocaine, or alcohol, therefore quitting smoking is difficult and may require multiple attempts.

Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Nicotine dependence is just one reason to quit smoking. It is common knowledge that tobacco smoke contains a deadly mix of thousands of toxins and chemical. Up to 70 of those can cause cancer. Tobacco smoke can cause serious health problems, numerous diseases, and death.
Fortunately, people who stop smoking greatly reduce their risk for disease and premature death. Although the health benefits are greater for people who stop at earlier ages, cessation is beneficial at all ages.
Smoking cessation is associated with the following health benefits:

• Smoking cessation lowers the risk for lung and other types of cancer.
• Smoking cessation reduces the risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Coronary heart disease risk is substantially reduced within 1 to 2 years of quitting.
• Smoking cessation reduces respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. The rate of decline in lung function is slower among people who quit smoking than among those who continue to smoke.
• Smoking cessation reduces the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
• Smoking cessation by women during their reproductive years reduces the risk for infertility. Women who stop smoking during pregnancy also reduce their risk of having a low birth weight baby.

Methods to Quit Smoking

The following treatments are proven effective for smokers who want help to quit:

• Counseling (e.g., individual, group, or telephone counseling and quitlines; online smoking cessation programs)

• Nicotine replacement products
• Over-the-counter (e.g., nicotine patch, gum, lozenge)
• Prescription (e.g., nicotine inhaler, nasal spray)
• Prescription non-nicotine medications, such as bupropion SR (Zyban^®) and varenicline tartrate (Chantix^®).^2,12

Helpful Resources

1-800-QUIT-NOW is a free telephone support service that can help individuals who want to stop smoking or using tobacco.
Tips From Former Smokers Web site:
CDC's Smoking & Tobacco Use Web site:

Resources:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004

Fiore MC, Jaén CR, Baker TB, Bailey WC, Benowitz NL, Curry SJ, Dorfman SF, Froelicher ES, Goldstein MG, Froelicher ES, Healton CG, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update—Clinical Practice Guidelines. Rockville (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2008