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Know the Facts

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease and kills more than 480,000 Americans each year. More than 41,000 of these deaths are the result of exposure to secondhand smoke.

For every smoking-related death, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. Smoking causes immediate damage to your body, which can lead to long-term illnesses or make illnesses worse, including:

Cigarette smoking cost the United States more than $600 billion in 2018, including more than $240 billion in healthcare spending and nearly $372 billion in lost productivity.1,2,3,4

Learn what percent of people currently smokes cigarettes, both in the United States overall and among specific population groups.

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Real Stories: People Featured in Tips®

Learn the real stories of people who are suffering from smoking-related diseases and disabilities.

Terrie

Meet Terrie H. Terrie lived in North Carolina and began smoking in high school. At 40, she was diagnosed with oral and throat cancers and had her larynx removed. She died at age 53 of smoking-related cancer.

Michael F.

Meet Michael F. Michael, age 57, lives in Florida and started smoking at age 12. He has smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He had to quit working at age 51 because he was too sick.

Geri

Meet Geri M. Geri, age 58, lives in Michigan and started smoking menthol cigarettes at age 20. She lives with smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and relies on oxygen therapy to help her breathe.

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Beatrice

Beatrice R., age 40, started smoking regularly when she was 13 and smoked for 25 years. She decided to quit for good when her young son wrote a letter to her asking her to stop smoking. She used patches and other medicines to help ease withdrawal symptoms. Now Beatrice has more energy than when she smoked, and she cooks more—because food tastes so much better. She encourages anyone who wants to quit smoking to do it, and to get help if they need it.

“I want to offer hope to people that it is possible for you to join the ranks of nonsmokers.”

Today I start my quit journey. Free resources provided by smokefree.gov

Learn more about all Tips participants in our Real Stories section.

Free Quitting Resources
Telephone
Smartphone Apps/Text
Web
Free Quitting Resources
Web
Smartphone Apps/Text
Telephone
Quit Smoking Medicines

There are 7 quit-smoking medicines approved by the FDA. Explore ways to get free or reduced cost quit-smoking medicines from your health insurance, health plan, or other sources.

Real Stories: People Featured in Tips®

Learn the real stories of people who are suffering from smoking-related diseases and disabilities.

Beatrice
Beatrice R., age 40, started smoking regularly when she was 13 and smoked for 25 years. She decided to quit for good when her young son wrote her a letter asking her to stop smoking. She used patches and other medicines to help ease withdrawal symptoms. Now Beatrice has more energy than when she smoked, and she cooks more—because food tastes so much better. She encourages anyone who wants to quit smoking to do it, and to get help if they need it.
“I want to offer hope to people that it is possible for you to join the ranks of nonsmokers."
More Real Stories:

Learn more about all Tips participants in our Real Stories section.

Today I start my quit journey. Free resources provided by smokefree.gov
  1. Xu X, Shrestha SS, Trivers KF, Neff L, Armour BS, King BA. U.S. Healthcare Spending Attributable to Cigarette Smoking in 2014. Preventive Medicine 2021 (150): 106529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106529.
  2. Shrestha SS, Ghimire R, Wang X, Trivers KF, Homa DM, Armour BS. Cost of Cigarette Smoking Attributable Productivity Losses, United States, 2018. Forthcoming at Am J Prev Med 2022.
  3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: a Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and  Health, Atlanta. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/50th-anniversary/index.htm.
  4. Max W, Sung HY, Shi Y. Deaths from secondhand smoke exposure in the United States: economic implications. American Journal of Public Health 2012;102(11): 2173–80.  doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.300805.
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