Smoking is bad for your health. Period. Cigarettes are the nation’s top cause of preventable death. They kill more than 400,000 people a year and cause serious health problems for millions more.
Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs around, which explains why so many smokers have great difficulty quitting. Many people find they have to try several times before they give up smoking for good. Even if you’ve tried and failed, don’t give up.
There are many successful strategies for kicking the perilous habit, from nicotine patches to support groups. And the body quickly mends itself once you do quit:
- Within two days of quitting, carbon monoxide levels in the blood return to normal.
- Within three months, lung function improves by as much as 30 percent.
Where to Get Help
There’s plenty of help, if you have the will to quit smoking. Help for smokers who want to quit has been available since researchers first identified and proved the hazards of cigarette smoking.
If you or someone you know has made the decision to quit smoking, here are a few groups to contact for information and support:
Online Help
- http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/
- http://www.smokefree.gov/
- http://www.lungusa.org/stop-smoking/
- http://www.ffsonline.org/
Help by Telephone
- CDC Smoking & Tobacco Use: 1-800-QUIT-NOW or 1-800-784-8669.
- American Lung Association: 1-800-LUNGUSA or 1-800-586-4872.
- National Cancer Institute: 1-877-44U-QUIT.
