Quitting tobacco
Maybe you’ve tried quitting tobacco already. Maybe this is your first time. The good news is there are many ways to quit. It’s important to choose methods that appeal to you. It may take some practice to find the best way for you to quit but keep working on it. You can do this! As you think about quitting…we’re here to help!
Quitting tobacco is challenging because nicotine — the active ingredient in all tobacco products — is extremely addictive. There is no safe tobacco. No matter your reason for wanting to quit, resources are available to help you succeed.
Smoking even one cigarette a day causes your heart rate and blood pressure to increase, and your major blood vessels to become smaller, causing your heart to work harder.
Some benefits of quitting smoking include fewer colds, sinus infections, and lung problems such as pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma attacks.
Your body is getting rid of thousands of chemicals found in tobacco. You are no longer being artificially relaxed from nicotine.
Answering the following questions may help you better understand the reasons that you use tobacco, which can lead you toward the steps to quit tobacco use for good.
These medicines are used to remove cravings or lower them to a level you can manage. If your cravings are still severe while using these medicines, call your doctor or tobacco counselor for help in making changes to dosages or medicine.
These medicines are used to remove cravings or lower them to a level you can manage. If your cravings are still severe while using these medicines, please call your doctor or tobacco counselor for help in making changes to dosages or medicine.
Use the chart for 1 to 3 days to help you better understand what triggers your urge to use tobacco. This can help you plan how to cope with your triggers when you quit.
Aromatherapy uses essential oils to maintain and restore health. Aromatherapy encourages your body’s natural ability to relax and heal, and supports the balance of mind, body and spirit.
Smokeless tobacco products are not a safe alternative to smoking. Any form of tobacco contains many toxic chemicals and high levels of nicotine.
The nicotine in e-cigarettes is not filtered the way it is in FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapies (such as patches and gum). This allows harmful chemicals from tobacco to be in e-cigarettes. Some companies claim to use filtered nicotine. This is not FDA-regulated so it cannot be verified.
Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. More than 70 are known to cause cancer. Tobacco products include cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS, includes e-cigarettes), cigars, smokeless tobacco (dip or chew), hookahs, pipes, roll-your-own, and oral nicotine products. Some of the chemicals are listed below.
Secondhand smoke is a mixture of smoke coming from the burning tips of cigarettes, pipes and cigars, and smoke exhaled by smokers.
Thirdhand smoke is the chemical residue left from secondhand smoke.
Your baby gets less oxygen and food because nicotine from cigarettes tightens up your blood vessels.
Tobacco use keeps oxygen from reaching your surgery site and it can increase your recovery time.
Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability and death. E-cigarettes are designed to deliver nicotine, the highly addictive chemical found in all tobacco products. Research shows that vaping is not a safe alternative to using cigarettes or any other forms of tobacco.
Learn more about how tobacco and nicotine affect youth and young adults.
Watching someone you care about who uses tobacco struggle for his or her health can be a frustrating and heart-rending time. Because so many diseases have been solidly linked to tobacco, continuing to use it can be viewed as a simple choice — do you want better health or not?
- Quit Partner
- 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or quitpartnermn.com (English, Spanish, Somali and Hmoob)
- 1-833-9AI-QUIT or aiquit.com (American Indian)
- asiansmokersquitline.org
- Online tobacco cessation support
- American Lung Association/Tobacco Quit Line
- 651-227-8014 or 1-800-586-4872
- Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center's Residential Treatment Program
- 1-800-344-5984 or 1-507-266-1930
Product-specific resources
- Financial aid Nicotrol® inhaler
- 1-844-989-PATH (7284)
- pfizerrxpathways.com
- Plant Extracts aromatherapy
- 1-877-999-4236
- plantextractsinc.com
Patient education videos
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