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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

1. 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.
2. 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
3. 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)
4. 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
5. 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: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
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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