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Smoking & Tobacco Use

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### Contact Info

Centers for Disease Control and PreventionNational Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health PromotionOffice on Smoking and Health

Call:1-800-CDC-INFOTTY:1-888-232-6348

E-mail: [email protected]

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# Fact Sheet

## Cessation

### (updated November 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 

#### Tobacco Use 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

      - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.			 Annual 			Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, 			and Economic Costs—United States, 1995–1999 . Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 			[serial online]. 2002;51(14):300–303 [cited 2006 May 23]. Available from: 			http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5114a2.htm.
      - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.			 Annual 			Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, 			and Productivity Losses—United States, 1997–2001 . Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 			[serial online]. 2005;54(25):625–628 [cited 2006 May 23]. Available from: 			http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5425a1.htm
      - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.			 National 			Center for Health Statistics; Health, United States, 2004 With 			Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans .  			Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 			CDC, 2004. Available from: 			http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/tables/2003/03hus031.pdf.         		(PDF–116KB)
      - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.			 			Tobacco Use Among Adults—United States, 2005 . 			Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [serial online]. 2006;55(42):1145–1148 [cited 2006 May 23]. 			Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5542a1.htm
      - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.			 State-Specific Prevalence of current 			Cigarette Smoking Among Adults and Secondhand Smoke Rules and Policies in Homes and 			Workplaces—United States, 2005.  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 			[serial online]. 2006;55(42):1148–1151 [cited 2006 Nov 06]. Available from: 			http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5542a2.htm

#### 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 CDC's Office on Smoking and Health press line 		at 770-488-5493.

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Office on Smoking and HealthNational Center for Chronic 		Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

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