How To Quit Smoking

Most smokers today know that smoking is bad for their health and harmful to people around them. They know they should quit but they also know it's going to be hard. Fortunately, there's lots of help available. The American Lung Association offers resources to help smokers figure out their reasons for quitting and then take the big step of quitting for good.

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Why Quit Smoking

Why should you quit smoking? Every smoker has his or her own personal reasons for quitting. Here are some common reasons.  Think about what is most important to you.

• For your health! According to the Surgeon General, quitting smoking is the single most important step a smoker can take to improve the length and quality of her or her life. As soon as you quit, your body begins to repair the damage caused by smoking. Of course it's best to quit early in life but even someone who quits later in life will improve their health.
• To save money! It's getting more expensive to smoke cigarettes.  State and federal cigarette taxes continue to go up and in some places, a pack of cigarettes can cost $10.00. Even if a pack costs "only" $5.00 where you live, smoking one pack per day adds up to $1,825.00 each year.
• To save the aggravation! It's getting less convenient to smoke.  More and more states and cities are passing clean indoor air laws that make it illegal to smoke in bars, restaurants, and other public places. Are you tired of having to go outside many times a day to have a cigarette? Is standing in the cold and the rain really worth having that cigarette? Wouldn't it be easier if you had the choice to go outside only when you want to and not when you need to?
• It's good for the people around you! Cigarette smoke is harmful to everyone who inhales it, not just the smoker. Whether you're young or old and in good health or bad, secondhand smoke is dangerous and can make you sick. Children who live with smokers get more chest colds and ear infections while babies born to mothers who smoke have an increased risk of premature delivery, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Both you and the people in your life will breathe easier! Ex-smokers don't have the scent of smoke on their clothes and hair, and their houses don't smell like cigarettes. Better breathing can mean better sleep at your house: Not only are smokers more likely to snore, so are non-smokers who breathe secondhand smoke on a daily basis.  Life is just better as a nonsmoker! Smoking interferes with your sense of taste, so food tastes better when you quit. Your sense of smell also improves, so get ready to really enjoy the scent of flowers or fresh-cut grass. You'll be able to make it through a long movie or an airplane flight without craving a cigarette. Within a few weeks after quitting, your smoker's cough will disappear and you'll have more energy. See the benefits of quitting timeline. ​

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Getting Help to Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking is the single most important step a smoker can take to improve the length and quality of his or her life. Stopping smoking can be tough but smokers don’t have to quit alone. The American Lung Association has lots of options to help adult and teen smokers quit for good.

Freedom From Smoking
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To help adult smokers quit, the American Lung Association offers Freedom From Smoking®. The program teaches the skills and techniques that have been proven to help smokers quit. Freedom From Smoking® is available as a group clinic, an online program and a self-help book. You can also speak to a cessation counselor at the Lung HelpLine. More

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Tips for Parents

​Parents, do you need help talking to your kids about smoking? We have tips on keeping your kids from smoking and encouraging them to quit if they’ve already started to smoke. More