Below are some resources to explore that will help you find what method will work best for you so that you can quit and stay smoke-free for a healthier life.
Have you successfully quit smoking? What worked for you? What advice can you share with someone who is taking that first step? Please leave a comment below!
Why quit smoking?
1. In addition to lung cancer, smoking causes many other types of cancer, including cancers of the throat, mouth, nasal cavity, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix, and acute myeloid leukemia. (*From cancer.gov)
2. People who smoke are up to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than nonsmokers, and the risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked. Smoking also causes most cases of chronic lung disease. (*From cancer.gov)
3. Save money! Calculate just how much can be saved here!
4. If you knew what was in a cigarette, you’d think twice:
- Acetone – found in nail polish remover
- Acetic Acid – an ingredient in hair dye
- Ammonia – a common household cleaner
- Arsenic – used in rat poison
- Benzene – found in rubber cement
- Butane – used in lighter fluid
- Cadmium – active component in battery acid
- Carbon Monoxide – released in car exhaust fumes
- Formaldehyde – embalming fluid
- Hexamine – found in barbecue lighter fluid
- Lead – used in batteries
- Napthalene – an ingredient in moth balls
- Methanol – a main component in rocket fuel
- Nicotine – used as insecticide
- Tar – material for paving roads
- Toluene - used to manufacture paint
5. Answers to 7 important smoking questions from Lancaster General Health
6. Find out why smoking is a major health risk
7. Check out what Dr. Oyer from Lancaster General Health has to say about smoking in this video "Are you kidding? You still smoke?"
8. Why quit? A list of reasons from PinnacleHealth
9. Cigarette smoking causes about 1 of every 5 deaths in the United States each year.Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause the following (CDC.gov):
443,000 deaths annually (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
49,400 deaths per year from secondhand smoke exposure
269,655 deaths annually among men
173,940 deaths annually among women
Now that you know the reasons to quit, are you ready to quit? Take this quiz to find out.
What do you know about quitting smoking quiz
When it comes to quitting smoking, the idea of picking a Quit date can be as difficult as the thought of never having another cigarette. Fortunately, the Quit Companion is a useful tool that can be specifically tailored to meet your needs. If you're not ready to commit to a specific day just yet, the Companion can become your personalized electronic quit journal. It will track your habits and provide a visual picture of your smoking patterns. It's even smart enough to calculate what your smoking is costing you.
If you've made the decision to quit, here's a helpful Quit Day Checklist to keep you on track.
This step-by-step Quit Guide at smokefree.gov was created with the help of ex-smokers and experts.
Quitting smoking can be a challenge: help for cravings and tough situations.
Help is just a phone call away:
Call 1-800-QUIT NOW for free support with a trained counselor in Pennsylvania, who will talk to you about whether you are ready to quit or just thinking about it. You can request a variety of free services, including self-help materials, a referral list of other programs in your community, and one-one phone counseling to help you quit.
Or, you can call 1-877-44U-QUIT (1-877-448-7848) to talk with an NCI smoking cessation counselor for help quitting and answers to smoking-related questions in English or Spanish - call toll free within the United States, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
SmokefreeTXT mobile service provides 24/7 encouragement, advice, and tips to help young adult smokers stop smoking for good.
There are some great online resources to help you track and share your progress as well:
Freedom From Smoking® Online, or FFS Online, is a program specifically designed for adults, like you, who want to quit smoking. It’s an adaptation of the American Lung Association’s gold standard, group clinic that has helped thousands of smokers to quit for good.
The EX Plan is a free quit smoking program that helps you re-learn your life without cigarettes. Before you actually stop smoking, we'll show you how to deal with the very things that trip up so many people when they try to quit smoking. So you'll be more prepared to quit and stay quit.
Quit for Life program: We understand that quitting is about more than just not smoking. When you join our program, a Quit Coach® will help you become an expert in living without tobacco using "The 4 Essential Practices to Quit For Life," principles based on 25 years of research and experience helping people quit tobacco.
Smokeless Tobacco: A Guide for Quitting
Nicotine Anonymous is a Non-Profit 12 Step Fellowship of men and women helping each other live nicotine-free lives. Nicotine Anonymous welcomes all those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction, including those using cessation programs and nicotine withdrawal aids. The primary purpose of Nicotine Anonymous is to help all those who would like to cease using tobacco and nicotine products in any form. The Fellowship offers group support and recovery using the 12 Steps as adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous to achieve abstinence from nicotine.
Are you helping a friend or family member quit smoking?
Tips for friends and family who are helping someone quit
Here is a useful book list for helping someone to quit
Helping a smoker quit: Do's and Don'ts
Facing Cancer Together's partners offer several programs to help you quit smoking. Take a look below:
Lancaster General Health offers:
Freedom from Smoking® Group Classes
If you’d like to join a group with others who are also trying to quit, consider this free program that was developed by the American Lung Association and has helped thousands of smokers to quit for good. Through this class you’ll be given the tools and support to develop a personalized quit plan. FREE Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is available to all participants. Classes are held at various locations throughout the community.
Do you need more personalized help? FREE one-on-one consultations with a counselor are available by appointment only. The weekly 30-minute sessions (minimum of 4 sessions) will focus on developing a personalized quit plan. FREE Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is available. Day and evening sessions are available by appointment only. For more information or to schedule, click here or call 1-888-LGH-INFO (544-4636). Appointments are held at the Wellness Center, Lancaster General Health Suburban Outpatient Pavilion, 2100 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster.
LifeSkills® is an evidence-based tobacco and addiction prevention curriculum for elementary, middle and high-school students and has been proven to help increase self-esteem, develop healthy attitudes, and improve students’ knowledge of essential life skills – all of which promote healthy and positive personal development. To find out how to bring LifeSkills® Training to your school, call 717-544-3284.
Join the millions who live smoke-free
1-888-LGH-INFO (544-4636) or register online.
Fighting the teen smoking epidemic
Answers to 7 important smoking questions
Smoking: Tips to help you quit
PinnacleHealth offers:
PinnacleHealth smoking cessation resources
Early detection and diagnosis of a pulmonary nodule, which may be cancerous, provides the best chance for a cure. See if you're qualified for a lung cancer screening at PinnacleHealth.
Options in niccotine therapy article.
It is never too late to quit smoking
Additional smoking cessation resources to explore
WellSpan Health offers:
Smoking Cessation Support Group: Meets the third Tuesday of each month from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Gettysburg Hospital Community Room. For more information contact Jennifer Hobbs at (717) 338-3259.
Nicotine replacement therapy for quitting tobacco
John's story: Crossing the smoke-free finish line
Interactive tool: How does smoking increase your risk of heart attack?
Smoking: Health risk for family members
Quitting smoking: Dealing with weight gain
Quitting smoking: How family and friends can help