Smoking Cessation

Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. Over 41,000 of these deaths are from breathing secondhand smoke. That’s about one in every five deaths, or 1,300 per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers. Smoking often causes serious health issues, such as heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and other cancers. Smoking also increases your risk for blindness.

Other oral and inhaled tobacco products also cause health problems. These products include chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, cigars, and pipes. As with cigarettes, using these products often leads to cancer, heart disease, and other serious health conditions.

Some smokers try “vaping” to help them quit. Vaping is the use of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, which do not contain tobacco but instead heat up nicotine to produce a smoke-like vapor that is then inhaled. Some smokers find that vaping helps them quit smoking for a few months, but they often go back to smoking. A recent study found that after one year since starting to vape, 90% of study participants were still smoking cigarettes.

Quitting tobacco is hard. UAB Medicine wants to help you “kick the habit.” Quitting now is one of the best things you can do for your health. We generally recommend three steps:

  1. Ask your doctor for medicine to ease your cravings, or choose a nicotine replacement product such as nicotine patches or nicotine gum.
  2. Get counseling to help you make a plan to quit that fits your lifestyle and preferences. Free counseling is available by calling 1-800-QUITNOW (or en español 1-855-dejelo-ya).
  3. Get more activity or exercise.

If you are ready to quit, we suggest you start by:

 

 

 

Why UAB

UAB Medicine is one of the top academic medical centers in the nation and a recognized leader in quality patient care, research, and training. We are consistently named among the Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, which also ranks many of our medical specialties among the best programs of their kind in the United States. We pride ourselves on being a destination facility for caring for the sickest patients, yet we treat all patients with the respect and compassion they deserve. From parking attendants and Guest Services representatives to nurses and physicians, UAB Medicine staff are courteous, well-trained professionals who put patients and their families first in everything we do.

UAB Medicine provides a complete range of primary and specialty care services, as well as the most up-to-date treatments and innovations in health care. It is anchored by UAB Hospital, which was established in 1945 as the teaching hospital for what now is the UAB School of Medicine. One of the largest and most advanced in the nation, UAB Hospital is the centerpiece of a sprawling medical campus that includes numerous research labs and clinics. Among those clinics is The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital, which is home to dozens of medical specialties under one roof and is one of the largest outpatient centers in the nation.