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| National Center For Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion           |
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| �About Us�Publications Catalog�Surgeon General's Reports�Research, Data, and Reports�How To Quit�Educational Materials�New Citations�Tobacco Control Program Guidelines & Data�Celebrities Against Smoking�Sports Initiatives�Campaigns & Events�Smoking & Health Resource Library 			�Related Links                           |  | CessationFact SheetNovember 2006
Nicotine is the psychoactive drug in tobacco products that produces dependence.1-3 Most smokers are dependent on nicotine,2 and smokeless tobacco use can also lead to nicotine dependence.4 Nicotine dependence is the most common form of chemical dependence in the United States.3 Research suggests that nicotine is as addictive as heroin, cocaine, or alcohol.5 Examples of nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and increased appetite.1 Quitting tobacco use is difficult and may require multiple attempts,2 as users often relapse because of withdrawal symptoms.1,2 Tobacco dependence is a chronic condition that often requires repeated intervention.6
**Health Benefits of Cessation**- People who stop smoking greatly reduce their risk of dying prematurely. 7,8  Benefits are greater for people who stop at earlier ages, but cessation is beneficial at all ages. 7,8    
- Smoking cessation lowers the risk for lung and other types of cancer. 7  The risk for developing cancer declines with the number of years of smoking cessation. 7,8    
- Risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease is reduced after smoking cessation. 7,8  Coronary heart disease risk is substantially reduced within 1 to 2 years of cessation. 8    
- Cessation reduces respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. 7  The rate of decline in lung function is slower among persons who quit smoking. 7,8   
- Women who stop smoking before or during pregnancy reduce their risk for adverse reproductive outcomes such as infertility or having a low-birth-weight baby. 8    
**Quitting Interest and Behavior Among Tobacco Users**- Among current U.S. adult smokers, 70 percent report that they want to quit completely. 9  In 2005, an estimated 19.2 million (42.5 percent) adult smokers had stopped smoking for at least 1 day during the preceding 12 months because they were trying to quit. 10    
- An estimated 46.5 million adults were former smokers in 2005. 10    
- Nearly 54 percent of current high school cigarette smokers in the United States tried to quit smoking within the preceding year. 11    
**Cessation Methods**- Brief clinical interventions by health care providers can increase the chances of successful cessation, as can counseling and behavioral cessation therapies. 6  Treatments with more person-to-person contact and intensity (e.g., more time with counselors) are more effective. 6  Individual, group, or telephone counseling are all effective. 6    
- Pharmacological therapies found to be effective for treating tobacco dependence include nicotine replacement products (e.g., gum, inhaler, patch) and non-nicotine medications, such as Bupropion SR� (Zyban) and Varenicline Tartrate (Chantix). 6    
**References**- CDC.  The Health Consequences of Smoking: Nicotine Addiction: A Report of the Surgeon General 1988 . Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, Center for Health Promotion and Education, Office on Smoking and Health; 1988. Available at			 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_1988/index.htm . Accessed: November 2006.			   
- CDC.  Reducing Tobacco Use: A Report of the Surgeon General . Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, Office on Smoking and Health; 2000. Available at 			 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_2000/index.htm . Accessed: November 2006.			   
- American Society of Addiction Medicine.  Nicotine Dependence and Tobacco . Public Policy of ASAM; 1996. Available at 			 			http://www.asam.org/ppol/NICOTINE DEPENDENCE & TOBACCO 10-96 (1).htm .* Accessed: November 2006.			   
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The Health Consequences of Using Smokeless Tobacco: A Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General, 1986 . Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service. NIH Pub. No. 86-2874. Available at 			 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_1986/index.htm . Accessed: November 2006.			   
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General . Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 1994. Available at 			 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_1994/index.htm . Accessed: November 2006.			   
- Fiore MC, Bailey WC, Cohen SJ, Dorfman SF, Goldstein MG, Gritz ER, et al. 			 Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: Quick Reference Guide for Clinicians . Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service; 2000. Available at 			 http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/default.htm . Accessed: November 2006.			   
- CDC.  The Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation . Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 1990. DHHS Pub. No. (CDC) 90-8416. Available at 			 http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/NN/B/B/C/T/ . Accessed: November 2006.			   
- CDC.  Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General . Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2001. Available at 			 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_forwomen/index.htm . Accessed: November 2006.			   
- CDC. Cigarette smoking among adults�United States, 2000.  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report  2002; 51(29)642-645. Available at: 			 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5129.pdf . (   PDF 			- 999KB) Accessed: November 2006.    
- CDC. Tobacco use among adults�United States, 2005.  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report  2006;55(42):1145�1148. Available at 			 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/research_data/adults_prev/mm5542_intro.htm . Accessed: November 2006.			   
- CDC. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Youth Online: Comprehensive Results, 2004. Available at 			 http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/yrbss/QuestYearTable.asp?path=byHT&ByVar=CI&cat=2&quest=Q35&year=2003&loc=XX . Accessed: November 2006. 

Note: More recent information may be available at the 		CDC�s Office on Smoking and Health Web site:				http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco.
For Further Information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention		National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion		Office on Smoking and Health

E�mail: [email protected]		Phone: 1�800�CDC�INFO 

Media Inquiries: Contact the Office on Smoking and Health press line 		at 770-488-5493**.
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		This page last reviewed		November 02, 2006

United States Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Disease Control and PreventionNational Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health PromotionOffice on Smoking and Health**                   |
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