In the 1950s, smoking was depicted as a sophisticated, enjoyable activity, and advertisements brimmed with smiling, happy people puffing away. Smoking cessation is a major goal of the U.S. Public Health Service's Healthy People 2000 Program.
Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, heart attacks, and other serious health problems in smokers.
Airlines, restaurants, hospitals, and workplaces are banning smoking or restricting it to designated areas, and pressure to quit is intense. But quitting is a lot easier said than done. Each year, about 17 million Americans try to stop smoking, according to the American Cancer Society. Only 1.3 million succeed. While many people have successfully stopped smoking on their own, many other smokers need help if they're going to succeed in quitting.