How To Quit Smoking.

Quitting Tobacco Use

This topic is designed to help you learn more about nicotine and to provide information that you might find useful as you try to decide what you want to do about your use of tobacco. Although written primarily for people who smoke cigarettes, the information here will be helpful to anyone trying to stop using any form of tobacco, including pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco, and snuff.

At least 7 medications are available to help a person stop using tobacco.

·Using a form of medication doubles a person's chances of quitting.

·About 1/3 of all people who try to quit use some form of treatment.

Although tobacco use is very harmful to your health, you may be unwilling to quit because you:

·Don't know how to quit.

·Don't think you can afford treatment.

·Are concerned that you will gain weight.

·Don't believe that you can because you have been unsuccessful in past attempts to quit.

Don't stop trying to quit. Most people who smoke make 5 to 7 attempts before being successful. It is best if you can quit early on when your risk for disease can be reversed.

If you don't use tobacco but you want to help a friend or relative quit, realize that he or she will be more likely to quit if other people (such as health professionals and friends) also are encouraging him or her to quit. You can state your concerns about his or her smoking, but don't nag. Nagging only makes things worse. Review each section of this topic for ways you can suggest quitting and support your friend or relative who is quitting.

Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of death and disability in the United States. Although smoking leads to more than 430,000 deaths each year, a...