For thousands of years, people have smoked or chewed the leaves of the tobacco plant. For many years, people speculated that there might be a link between diseases like cancer and tobacco use. In 1996, researchers confirmed smoking was directly linked to lung cancer.

Surveys have shown that the majority of smokers - at least 70% and perhaps as high as 90 % - want to stop smoking. However, no more than 20% of those who try to quit succeed for as long as a year. Around 3% succeed using willpower alone. Smokers who have tried to quit before and not succeeded should not be discouraged. Most smokers must practice through several attempts to quit before they finally succeed.

Quit Smoking Benefits

Each individual may have a unique set of reasons to quit smoking that is meaningful to them. Below are a few common reasons to quit smoking.

• Each breath feels clean and refreshing, with less coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath

• More stamina, endurance, and confidence

• More cash in your pocket

• Clothes don't stink

• House and car smells good!

• General health improves

• Whiter teeth and fresher breath

• Improved sense of smell and taste

• Sharper thinking

• Don't expose family and friends to secondhand smoke

• Lower your risk of lung and other types of cancer, as well stroke, heart disease, and vascular disease

Along with the benefits, one of the major barriers to smoking cessation is nicotine withdrawal. It results when a person is nicotine dependent and stops using products with nicotine. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms involve irritability, headache, and craving for cigarettes or other sources of nicotine. Other symptoms include dizziness, drowsiness, sleep disturbances, vivid dreams, mild hallucinations, and depression.

Quit Smoking Now!

There are a number of online, mobile, and in-person resources to help you quit smoking.

Courtesy of University Health Services, The University of Texas at Austin.
Published by the University of Texas at Austin University Health Services.
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.
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