Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do for your health. The sooner you quit, the sooner your body can start to heal. You'll feel better and have more energy to be active with your family and friends.
Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States.
For example, smoking cigarettes (which have tobacco in them) causes:
Secondhand smoke is a mix of the smoke that you breathe out and the smoke that comes from your cigarette. Secondhand smoke is dangerous and can cause health problems for the people around you.
In babies and children, breathing in secondhand smoke can cause:
In adults, breathing in secondhand smoke can cause:
E-cigarettes (sometimes called “vapes”) work by heating a liquid to make an aerosol that people breathe in. E-cigarette aerosol is not harmless. It can have harmful — and possibly harmful — substances, like heavy metals and chemicals that can cause cancer. Most e-cigarettes also have nicotine (the addictive drug found in tobacco products).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved e-cigarettes as a quit-smoking aid.
Learn about e-cigarettes and how they affect your health.
Quitting smoking is hard, but millions of people have done it successfully. In fact, more than half of Americans who ever smoked have quit. You could be one of them! It often takes people several tries to quit smoking, but don't get discouraged — every attempt to quit means you're one step closer to quitting for good.
Nicotine — the drug found in all tobacco products — is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. It’s the nicotine in cigarettes that causes cravings, or the strong feeling that you want to smoke. Remember — quitting isn’t easy, but it is possible!
Take these steps to help you quit:
Your body begins to heal as soon as you quit smoking. Here are some ways you'll feel better:
After you quit smoking:
If you have children, you can also help them be healthier if you quit smoking. Children whose parents smoke around them are at higher risk for lung problems, ear infections, and other health problems.
Check out these real stories of people living with serious health effects from smoking.
Some people worry about gaining weight when they quit smoking. It's true that some people gain weight after quitting — but remember that not smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health.
You can help prevent weight gain by making healthy choices. For example:
To learn more ways to watch your weight after quitting, check out these tips.
