Quitting for Any Reason

Need A Reason to Quit Smoking, Dipping or Chewing Tobacco?

If you need a reminder of how bad tobacco is for you, here it is.

Most people say they already know how deadly smoking is. But if the grim facts about smoking help you decide to quit or stay on track with quitting, here are some of the key numbers:

  • ONE HALF of lifelong smokers will die of a smoking-related disease.
  • Every 6.5 seconds, someone in the world dies from a smoking-related illness. That's about 1,200 deaths per day and more than 440,000 a year in the U.S. alone.
  • Cigarette smoke contains 4,000 chemicals. Arsenic, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, ammonia and urea are just a few.

Pregnant smokers: If you're a pregnant smoker, chemicals from smoking make their way to your baby. You're not only harming yourself but your baby, too. Smoking while pregnant puts your baby at risk for premature delivery, low birth weight, asthma and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Cancer patients: Chemotherapy and radiation therapy patients who keep smoking/using tobacco don't respond as well to treatment and may have worse side effects than those who stop their tobacco use. To get the most out of your treatment, stop using tobacco.

Having surgery? Cigarettes also cause serious problems after surgery. Smoking can slow the healing process and increase infections where you had surgery. It makes anesthesia more risky and raises the risk of severe lung complications. Many surgeons insist patients stop smoking for at least two weeks before surgery.

Poisons from smoking affect the entire body, head to toe. If you need a reminder of why it’s so important to quit, read the list of diseases caused by smoking below:

  • Mouth and throat cancer
  • Laryngeal (voice box) cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Lung cancer
  • Stomach cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Bladder cancer
  • Kidney cancer
  • Cervical cancer
  • Prostate cancer
  • Acute leukemia
  • Coronary heart disease
  • Cerebrovascular disease
  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm
  • Acute respiratory illnesses (colds, flu)
  • Chronic respiratory diseases
  • Emphysema
  • Fertility problems
  • Pregnancy problems
  • Loss of bone mass and risk of fractures
  • Peptic ulcer disease
  • Erectile dysfunction

Need a reason to quit dipping/chewing?

Using smokeless tobacco like dip and chew can also cause serious health problems. It is not a harmless way to use tobacco. Dipping and chewing can lead to nicotine addiction and can be as tough to quit as smoking. Smokeless tobacco can also cause these diseases and health problems:

  • Cancer of the mouth, esophagus (the passage that connects the throat to the stomach), and pancreas (a gland that helps with digestion and maintaining proper blood sugar levels)
  • Gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss
  • White or gray patches inside the mouth (leukoplakia) that can lead to cancer
  • Increased risk of heart disease and stroke
  • Increased risk of early delivery and stillbirth when used during pregnancy

Ready to quit now? Start by setting your quit date. Still not feeling sure? Visit the EX Community to connect with others going through their quitting journey.

Other Health Issues and Benefits of Quitting