Quit Tips
Are you one of most smokers who want to quit? Then try following this advice.
1. Don’t smoke any number or any kind of cigarette. Each cigarette you smoke damages your lungs, your blood vessels, and cells throughout your body. Even occasional smoking is harmful.
You might have thought that "filtered," "low-tar," or "light" cigarettes are less dangerous than others. But research shows that these cigarettes are every bit as addictive and are no safer than other cigarettes. Misleading labels are no longer allowed.a
2. Write down why you want to quit. Do you want to—
- Feel in control of your life?
- Have better health?
- Set a good example for your children?
- Protect your family from breathing other people’s smoke?
Really wanting to quit smoking is very important to how much success you will have in quitting.
3. Know that it will take effort to quit smoking. Nicotine is addictive.b Half of the battle in quitting is knowing you need to quit. This knowledge will help you be more able to deal with the symptoms of withdrawal that can occur, such as bad moods and really wanting to smoke. There are many ways smokers quit, including using nicotine replacement products (gum and patches) or FDA-approved, non-nicotine cessation medications. But there is no easy way. Nearly all smokers have some feelings of nicotine withdrawal when they try to quit. For most people the worst of the symptoms only last a few days to a couple weeks.b Take quitting one day at a time, even one minute at a time—whatever you need to succeed.
4. More than half of all adult smokers have quit, so you can—too.c That’s the good news. There are millions of people alive today who have learned to face life without a cigarette. For staying healthy, quitting smoking is the best step you can take.
5. Get help if you need it. If desired, smokers can receive free resources and assistance to help them quit by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW, visiting smokefree.gov 
, or SmokefreeWomen.gov . Your doctor or dentist is also a good source of help and support. Other groups offer written materials, programs, and advice to help smokers quit for good.
Sources:
a. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. 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 [accessed 2012 Mar 7].
b. National Cancer Institute. How To Handle Withdrawal Symptoms and Triggers When You Decide To Quit Smoking. October 2010 [accessed 2012 Mar 7].
c. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Quitting Smoking Among Adults—United States, 2001–2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [serial online] 2011;60(44):1513–19 [accessed 2012 Mar 7].
Contact Us:
- CDC/Office on Smoking and Health
4770 Buford Highway
MS K-50
Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3717 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348
8am–8pm ET
Monday–Friday
Closed Holidays - tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
