For many of us, old movies and TV shows glamorized smoking. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon to see stars on screen drag on a cigarette while delivering a signature line or make a connection with another character—smoking exuded main character energy. 

The characters in our favorite movies were usually adults, but that’s not an accurate depiction of tobacco use. If you’re reading this article, you probably started smoking as a teenager. If so, you’re not alone. According to the CDC, “nearly 9 out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily first try smoking by age 18,” and modern-day cigarette options often include flavorings that make smoking more appealing to younger generations. In 2023, 90.3% of high school students and 87.1% of middle school students who used e-cigarettes in the past month reported using a flavored e-cigarette during that time, making e-cigarettes a growing option for first-time and ongoing tobacco use. Tobacco use is also happening in the form of cigars, smokeless tobacco, hookah, nicotine pouches, and traditional cigarettes (though traditional cigarettes are becoming less popular).

How Addictive is Tobacco?

What we didn’t see on screen was the effects of smoking on the person’s life, namely the chemical addiction that resulted from smoking. Tobacco contains a substance known as nicotine which releases a chemical called dopamine in the same regions of the brain as other addictive drugs. This dopamine rush temporarily causes the person to feel good in as little as 20 seconds from the first inhalation.This addictive effect is comparable to opioids, alcohol, and cocaine.

Effects of Long-Term Tobacco Use

According to the CDC, over 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. For everyone who dies because of smoking, more than 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. 

Smoking causes a variety of illnesses including:

1. Cancer - Smoking can cause cancerous cells in your body to develop or grow, but cigarette smoke can also poison the body, weakening it’s immune system.     Once the immune system is weakened, the person’s body will struggle to kill off cancer cells. When this happens, cancer cells keep growing without being stopped. Chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage or change a cell’s DNA. DNA controls a cell’s normal growth and function and when it’s damaged, a cell can begin growing out of control and create a cancer tumor.
2. Heart disease - Smoking causes 1 in every 4 deaths from cardiovascular disease. Smoking can raise triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood), making blood more likely to clot, which can block blood flow to the heart and brain. Smoking can also damage cells that line the blood vessels, and cause thickening and narrowing of blood vessels.

1. Pregnancy and infant health issues - ​​Women who smoke have more difficulty becoming pregnant and have a higher risk of never becoming pregnant. If smoking occurs during pregnancy, tissue damage in the lungs and brain of the fetus may occur and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke can keep the developing baby from getting enough oxygen causing additional harm. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, middle ear disease, more severe asthma, respiratory symptoms, acute respiratory infections, and slowed lung growth.
2. Lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - COPD is a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthma. Smoking accounts for about 8 out of 10 COPD-related deaths. Smoking during teenage years can slow how lungs grow and develop and increase the risk of developing COPD in adulthood.

Even if you’re not the person smoking, your health may still suffer if you’re consistently exposed to tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke exposure contributes to approximately 41,000 deaths among nonsmoking adults and 400 deaths in infants each year causing issues like lung cancer, stroke, and coronary heart disease in adults. 

Why Is It So Hard To Quit Smoking?

As with most addictions, it’s uncomfortable to quit smoking, especially because cutting back can cause symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Breaking any habit can cause a negative emotional response, but the emotional response is compounded by the physical symptoms of withdrawal. 

• Headaches
• Tiredness
• Increased  appetite
• Dizziness 
• Depression
• Constipation and gas
• Cough, dry mouth, sore throat, and nasal drip
• Chest tightness
• Feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Trouble sleeping
• Trouble concentrating
• Restlessness or boredom
• Weight gain

Though these symptoms can feel scary, it’s important to know what you may experience and still acknowledge that quitting is worth it.

 Let’s Quit Smoking Today

Your life quality will improve in the short and long term if you quit smoking. 

No matter how old you are or how long you’ve been smoking, it’s absolutely possible for you to stop smoking and replace this habit with a healthier one. Anyone who’s quit would tell you that it has improved their health and reduced their risk of heart disease, cancer, lung disease, and other smoking-related illnesses. Even if you’ve smoked for decades, you can reclaim months or even years of your life by quitting and even protect the health and wellness of the people around you by reducing their exposure to secondhand smoke.

Before you start this journey, it’s important to spend sometime reflecting and writing down a few things to help motivate you along the way. Here are five helpful things to journal or write down and keep in a visible place in your home or office:

1. Remind yourself why you’re quitting - maybe it’s so you can live a long and healthy life, maybe it’s to protect your family from secondhand smoke, or establish healthier coping mechanisms. Whatever it is, write it down; this will be a strong motivator when you have a strong desire to smoke.
2. Choose a date to quit and put it in a calendar.
3. Identify your stress relievers and write them down - whether or not you smoked as a coping mechanism for stress, quitting tobacco will likely cause irritability and anxiety so before you decide to quit, identify stress-relief techniques that work well for you such as physical activities, breathing exercises, or social activities.
4. Identify your triggers - this will help you prepare your mind and body for the cravings that are likely to crop up at the times you're accustomed to drawing out a cigarette.
5. Failure isn’t the end of the world - give yourself grace for failings along the way. You may try to give up smoking one or two times before you finally stop the habit. Or, on your first attempt at quitting, you may sneak a cigarette here or there. Give yourself grace, forgive yourself quickly, and move on with renewed motivation to successfully complete this journey.

Here are some time-tested tips for quitting. Everyone is different so we recommend pursuing them all because some tactics may work better for you than others.

1. Free Coaching 

There are Quitlines available that provide free coaching to help you quit smoking. When you call1-800-QUIT-NOW, you can speak confidentially with a highly trained quit coach; some quitlines offer text messaging support which can be especially helpful when your urges to smoke are strong. There’s also the quitSTART App which is a free smartphone app that uses tailored tips, inspiration, and quit challenges to help you quit smoking.

2. Make Your Space Smoke-Free

Improve your chances of avoiding tobacco by removing it from your environment. Throw away all the cigarettes in your home, in your car, and at work get rid of things that you use while smoking such as lighters, matches, and ashtrays. Use air fresheners and healthy-skin fabric softeners to help remove the tobacco smell from your home and clothes. 

3. Get Accountability 

You’re more likely to quit smoking if you have people around you who can support your decision, help you avoid cigarettes, and encourage you to persevere when you’re tempted to smoke. This is especially true if you smoke in social settings. Tell the people you spend time with or who you smoke with that you are quitting and explicitly ask for their support. Additionally, if you’re tempted, reach out to the people you trust. They can help you remember why you’re trying to quit and motivate you to stay on track. They can even help distract you with a social activity to get your mind off smoking. Your healthcare providers can also be a valuable support system so lean on your counselor or doctor to help support you with tangible advice or encouragement on this journey.

4. Distract Yourself

Make a list of good distractions and practice them before you try to quit smoking. Distractions are excellent ways to get your mind off smoking and cause the nicotine urge to quickly fade. Make a robust list of things like outdoor activities, restaurants you like trying, cooking or crafts that keep your hands occupied, or physical activities that can shift your mind off cravings.

5. Get Safe Cigarette Substitutes

Sometimes, the urge to smoke simply comes from the muscle memory of bringing a small item to your lips over and over. Help break your smoking habit by replacing cigarettes with items like toothpicks or cinnamon sticks which can really come in handy when it is hard to leave a situation, like when you are driving, in a meeting, or at a restaurant. Holding these items to your mouth or between your fingers can help lessen the urge to smoke. Using a stress ball or fidget toy can also help alleviate some of the nervous energy you may have while experiencing withdrawals. 

6. Face The Temptation

You will experience a desire to smoke while you quit and these urges will pop up at the times when you normally smoked, such as during your lunch break. It’s a good mental practice to intentionally fight that urge; instead of giving in the next time you want a cigarette, just pay attention to it. Let the urge get as strong as it wants, but ignore and talk through it. Tell yourself, out loud, “I feel like I really need a cigarette, but these thoughts and feelings will be gone soon.” For many people, according to the CDC, the urge will begin to dissolve after a few minutes. Of course, you will get more urges later, but they will weaken with time. Practice riding the wave a few times a day.

7. Medicines

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved seven safe and effective medicines that can help you quit smoking. These quit-smoking medicines include nicotine replacement medicines (the nicotine patch, lozenge, gum, oral inhaler, and nasal spray) and pill medicines (varenicline and bupropion SR). Talk to your doctor about these options to see if there’s one that would work best for you.

We believe you can do this! It may not happen the first time you try quitting, but stopping this habit is well worth the discomfort of breaking the habit and facing withdrawals. We’re proud of you for trying and we’re cheering you on!

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