Smoking and Tobacco Use

Quit Smoking For Better Health

 

At a glance

  • A report by the U.S. Surgeon General provides the latest science on what helps people quit smoking for good—and why quitting is so important.
  • If you smoke, quitting is one of the best things you can do for your health.

 

Proven ways to quit

Cigarette smoking is still the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States, killing almost half a million Americans every year. Smoking-related disease costs the nation more than $300 billion every year, and hurts families as well. Luckily, the report highlights ways to quit that are backed up by science.

Counseling and medication are each effective by themselves, but when used together, they can more than double your chance of successfully quitting. There are many safe, proven medications—including five kinds of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and two non-NRT prescription medicines. Evidence in the report shows that combining long-acting NRT such as nicotine patches with short-acting NRT such as nicotine gum or lozenges can also raise your chances of quitting.

Nearly 70% of people who smoke cigarettes want to quit.

Your doctor can offer counseling and prescription medicines that make quitting easier.

 

Stronger science, same advice

This report is the first Surgeon General's report since 1990 to focus solely on the health benefits of quitting smoking.

Much more research is available about those benefits since the last Surgeon General's report on quitting. The fact remains that if you smoke, quitting smoking entirely is still the best way to improve your current and future health:

  • It can increase your life expectancy up to 10 years and make it easier to enjoy life.

  • The risk for some smoking-related illnesses—including heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—goes down after you quit.

  • Quitting also lowers risk of 12 types of cancer over time, including cancers of the lung, larynx (voice box), mouth and throat, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, stomach, colon and rectum, liver, cervix, and kidney, plus a type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia. The report also suggests that cancer survivors can reduce their risk of dying from cancer by quitting smoking.

  • If you already have coronary heart disease, quitting can lower your risk of dying from it, getting a new type of heart disease, or having the disease come back.

  • Quitting smoking can also lower or delay loss of lung function and slows down the progress of COPD.

The report makes it clear that pregnant women who quit smoking not only improve their own health, but also their newborns'. Cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure make it more likely that women will have serious medical issues during pregnancy. Babies born to mothers who smoke are more likely to have lower birth weight and to die in the first year of life. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby is to quit smoking.

 

Everyone can help improve health

Everyone, including employers and health care workers, can support people in quitting. Some strategies that the report shows motivate people to quit include:

 

  • Employers offering insurance that covers quit-smoking treatment and putting in place smoke free workplace policies.
  • Smoke free policies in restaurants and bars.
  • Hard-hitting mass media campaigns.
  • State or federal governments raising cigarette prices.
  • Requiring visual warnings on cigarette packages showing smoking-related disease.
  • Funding sustainable state tobacco control programs.
 

Counseling and treatment from health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists also can also help people quit. Even though more doctors are talking to their patients about quitting smoking, only about 60% of adults who smoke get quitting advice from health care professionals.

Finally, if you have a friend or loved one who wants to quit, you can help, too. Encourage them to talk to their doctor and direct them toward resources that can keep them on track in their quit journey.

 

More help than ever

Whether you want to quit smoking or want to help someone quit, you can find more resources today than ever before. You can find counseling in person or by phone. You can get most forms of NRT over the counter, though you might need a prescription to get insurance coverage. Your doctor can prescribe other medications that help lower your desire to smoke and fight cravings.

You can also get help by calling a quit line. Quit lines are a free, convenient, and confidential source of support and information. There are smart phone apps and texting programs you can use to track your progress and carry support wherever you go.

 

Quitting smoking is not easy, but it is possible, especially with proven, safe treatments.

 

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Most recent revision March 31, 2025 08:43:09 AM