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Annette's StoryAnnette experimented with cigarettes as a teenager, smoking occasionally. But by the time she turned 20, Annette was a regular smoker. When she was 50, Annette heeded her granddaughter’s advice and quit cold turkey after having smoked for more than 30 years. But by then she already had cancer. At age 52, Annette went to the doctor because she was having difficulty breathing and was diagnosed with lung cancer so advanced it was necessary to remove one of her lungs. A few years later, she was diagnosed with oral cancer and surgery was again required. Today, at age 57, Annette is smoke-free and cancer-free. More About AnnetteBiographyPrint Ads
Annette, 57; diagnosed with lung cancer at age 52 Get the FactsSyndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/stories/annette.html Source Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 17:42:00.0 Bill's StoryBill was angry with himself that he ever accepted that first cigarette. “When I was 15, I started smoking. It was a stupid thing I wish I could take back.” Bill had diabetes. He learned the hard way that smoking makes diabetes harder to control. At 37, Bill went blind in his left eye from a detached retina—damage to the inner lining of the eye. He also had kidney failure. Two years later, he had his leg amputated due to poor circulation—made worse from smoking. “I lost my leg, and that’s when I quit,” he said. Bill’s serious health problems changed his life dramatically. Married and the father of four children, he worried that he wouldn’t be able to provide for his family. “Smoking is a nasty addiction,” he said. “It’s not cool, and it doesn’t do anybody any good. Don’t ever start smoking.” Bill died in August 2014 from heart disease. He was 42. More About BillBiographyPrint Ads
Bill: Smoking and Diabetes Don't MixBill, a person with diabetes, started smoking at 15, not realizing the problems it would eventually cause him and his family. He didn’t stop smoking until he was almost 40—after having had a leg amputated. In this emotional video, Bill encourages others to quit smoking, too. Get the FactsSyndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/stories/bill.html Source Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 17:43:00.0 Brandon's StoryThirty-one-year-old Brandon started smoking in his mid-teens, and by 18, he was diagnosed with Buerger’s disease, a disorder linked to tobacco use that causes blood vessels in the hands and feet to become blocked and can result in infection or gangrene. Nine years later, after losing both his legs and several fingertips to this terrible disease, he quit smoking for good. Smoke-free for 4 years now, Brandon hasn’t had any more amputations, but he still must manage the consequences of being a double amputee. More About BrandonBiographyPrint Ads
Brandon's StoryBrandon describes losing his foot, fingers, and other body parts to Buerger’s disease, a disorder linked to smoking, and testifies to the strength of addiction in this video from CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers®campaign. Get the FactsMore StoriesMore real stories about Buerger’s disease: Syndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/stories/brandon.html Source Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 17:44:00.0 Syndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV1oYAWgqPU&list=PLOrjfjcT0nD0dMrDd2YoZgGgtIecFQt_g Source Agency: National Cancer Institute (NCI) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 21:18:00.0 Chemicals in Cigarettes: From Plant to Product to PuffYou probably know that cigarettes can kill you—in fact, smoking kills half of those who don't quit1—but do you really have the full story? Do you know how many harmful chemicals are in cigarettes or how they get into the product? FDA created these videos and interactive tools to lay the foundation for an important public health goal: we aim to publish a list of the levels of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals in tobacco, in a way that is easy for the public to understand. As an important step toward that goal, we invite you to explore the chemicals in tobacco in three stages of cigarettes, from plant to product to puff, in the videos below. 
Chemicals in Every Tobacco PlantIt is a fact that cigarettes contain dangerous chemicals.2 But how do these chemicals get into cigarettes? Are most of the harmful chemicals added during the manufacturing process? Fact: Some of the toxic chemicals in tobacco are present in the plant itself.3 Watch the tobacco growth video to uncover more. 
Chemicals in Every Cigarette ProductOk, so harmful chemicals are in the tobacco plant. What happens during manufacturing? Is that when more dangerous chemicals are added? Fact: Not all of the harmful chemicals created during cigarette manufacturing are man-made. Some of the carcinogens occur naturally as tobacco is cured.3 Watch the video about cigarette manufacturing. 
Chemicals in Every Puff of Cigarette SmokeHow many harmful and potentially harmful chemicals are in a cigarette? Is there more than nicotine and tar? Fact: There are more than 7,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke.2 More than 70 of those chemicals are linked to cancer.4,5,6,7 Watch the video on cigarette smoke to learn more about what happens when you light up.
Think You Know All the Chemicals Found in Cigarettes?Here are some of the 93 known harmful and potentially harmful chemicals in cigarettes:
DownloadsDownload and share with people in your life these images about the health effects of dangerous chemicals in cigarettes. To download:
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Additional Resources
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Syndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.fda.gov/syn/html/ucm535235 Source Agency: Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products (FDA/CTP) Captured Date: 2017-02-03 16:15:00.0 Ellie’s StoryEllie enjoys singing and playing the guitar. She loves people and is an active member of the LGBT communities. In her mid-thirties, Ellie was diagnosed with asthma. Ellie never smoked but worked as a bartender in a bar that allowed smoking. Her doctor said her asthma attacks were triggered by secondhand smoke—breathing other people’s cigarette smoke. In 1990, she remembers having her first asthma attack. “I had trouble breathing. It was terrifying!” After several hospital visits and on the advice of her doctor, she felt she had no choice but to quit her job and find a job where she wouldn’t be exposed to secondhand smoke. Even though she feels better now, Ellie was sad to leave a job she loved. “Everyone deserves to work in a smoke-free workplace,” she says. More About EllieBiographyPrint Ads
Ellie: “It was Terrifying to Get an Asthma Attack”Ellie was in her mid-30’s when she had her first asthma attack — triggered by exposure to secondhand smoke. She loved her job as a bartender, but began to dread going to work. In this video from CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers® campaign she says, “I could feel my lungs getting tighter. I knew I couldn’t be around the smoke or I was going to die, or something bad was going to happen to me.” Eventually Ellie quit her job for the sake of her health, but feels everyone deserves to have a safe and healthy work environment. Get the FactsSyndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/stories/ellie.html Source Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 17:45:00.0 Using Nicotine Replacement TherapyMany people use quit smoking medications to help reduce withdrawal feelings and cigarette cravings. These medications can double your chances of quitting for good. 
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is the most commonly used family of quit smoking medications. NRT reduces withdrawal feelings by giving you a small controlled amount of nicotine-but none of the other dangerous chemicals found in cigarettes. This small amount of nicotine helps satisfy your craving for nicotine and reduces the urge to smoke. Doctors and other medical experts think NRT is the one of the most helpful tools smokers can use to quit. Some smokers have mild to moderate side effects. However, research shows that NRT is safe and effective. NRT can be an important part of almost every smoker’s quit smoking strategy. NRT comes in a variety of forms that are used in different ways. You can choose which forms you like best. Some NRT products work better than others for some people. Some people might prefer certain NRT products instead of others.
Quitting is different for everyone. Try various tools until you find the ones that help you succeed.
Types of NRT
Combining NRT with Other StrategiesNRT can’t do all the work. It can help with withdrawal and cravings. But it won’t completely take away the urge to smoke. Even if you use NRT to help you stop smoking, quitting can still be hard. Combining NRT with other strategies can improve your chances of quitting and staying quit. To give yourself the best chance for success, explore other quit methods you can combine with medication. Also think about:
Syndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://smokefree.gov/explore-medications Source Agency: National Cancer Institute (NCI) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 17:57:00.0 Jamason’s Story18-year-old Jamason was diagnosed with asthma as an infant. He never really understood the dangers of secondhand smoke until it triggered a severe asthma attack. Jamason never smoked cigarettes. Even when friends tried to talk him into having one cigarette, he would reply, “It’s just not cool to smoke.” Jamason’s worst attack occurred when he was 16, at a fast food restaurant where he worked. He was sweeping close to some coworkers who were smoking, and he started having trouble breathing. He called his mother, frantic for help. She found him at work gasping for air. He was hospitalized for 4 days. More About JamasonBiographyPrint Ads
Jamason: “I Didn’t Know Why I Couldn’t Breathe”Jamason and his mother Sherri talk about the day Jamason had to go to the hospital after having a severe asthma attack at work, triggered by exposure to secondhand smoke. Recounting the drive to the hospital, Sherri said, “I just held his hand, and told him just squeeze it every now and then so I know he’s breathing.” In this video from CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers® campaign, Jamason admits that after such a severe attack, he was afraid to leave the hospital because he knew that outside, in the real world, people smoke. Get the FactsSyndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/stories/jamason.html Source Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 17:45:00.0 Syndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-QipXhQM5M Source Agency: National Cancer Institute (NCI) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 21:14:00.0 Create My Quit PlanSyndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://smokefree.gov/quit-plan Source Agency: National Cancer Institute (NCI) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 17:58:00.0 Mariano’s Story“I was given a second chance to live,” says Mariano, who is Hispanic and lives in Illinois. He started smoking at 15. In 2004, Mariano woke up one morning feeling sick and dizzy. He was sweating a lot. He went to the doctor, who told him his blood pressure was extremely high. He was hospitalized that day. Three days later, he had open heart surgery to replace blocked blood vessels in his heart. “I smoked my last cigarette the day I was told I needed heart surgery.” He hasn’t smoked since. After his hospitalization, Mariano, who loves to cook, noticed that food tasted better and that he had more energy. “I had a wake-up call, and now I feel good.” He plans to keep it that way.
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Mariano: Fortunate to have a second chanceMariano smoked for 30 years. One day he woke up and felt dizzy and nauseous. “I didn’t know what was happening to me and started sweating.” Mariano needed open heart surgery to save his life. In this video from the CDC’s Tips from Former Smokers® campaign he says: “I was fortunate to have a second chance at life.” Mariano hopes that others don’t risk their health and stop smoking today. Get the FactsMore StoriesMore real stories about heart disease and stroke: Syndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/stories/mariano.html Source Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 17:46:00.0 CTP Newsroom
From press releases to public meetings to email newsletters, stay up to date on the latest news and events from the FDA Center for Tobacco Products.
News & EventsRecent news, press releases, meetings, workshops, newsletters, and other announcements are listed below. 2017
2016
Archived ContentSearch for past news and events in the FDA.gov web archive.
Syndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.fda.gov/syn/html/ucm2019061 Source Agency: Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products (FDA/CTP) Captured Date: 2015-12-07 17:29:00.0 
Syndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://syndication-files.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2975.png Source Agency: U S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 21:25:00.0 Syndicated Content Details: Source URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDlM34v42R8 Source Agency: National Cancer Institute (NCI) Captured Date: 2014-12-18 21:13:00.0
IntroductionSo you're a dipper and you'd like to quit.Maybe you've already found that quitting dip or chew is not easy. But you can do it! This guide is intended to help you make your own plan for quitting. Many former dippers have shared advice on quitting that can help you. This guide is the result of advice from chewers and dippers who have canned the habit. Like most dippers, you probably know that the health-related reasons to quit are awesome. But you must find your own personal reasons for quitting. They can motivate you more than the fear of health consequences. It's important to develop your own recipe for willpower.
The Dangers of Dip and ChewHere's a brief summary of the harm dipping does in the mouth:
Recent research shows that smokeless tobacco use might also cause problems beyond the mouth. Some studies have shown that using smokeless tobacco may cause pancreatic cancer. And scientists are also looking at the possibility that its use might play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease--heart disease and stroke. Need more reasons to quit?
Understanding your Addiction
Nicotine Levels of Selected Brands
Hard to believe you're a nicotine addict?
Highest to Lowest
* This list is provided for information only. NIDCR and NCI do not endorse the use of any tobacco product.
The more items you check, the more likely that you are addicted. Myths and TruthsThere are several myths about smokeless tobacco.Sometimes these myths make users feel more comfortable in their habits. Below are some myths and the truths that relate to them. Myth: Smokeless tobacco is a harmless alternative to smoking. Truth: Smokeless tobacco is still tobacco. In tobacco are nitrosamines, cancer-causing chemicals from the curing process. Note the warnings on the cans. Myth: Dip (or chew) improves my athletic performance. Truth: A study of professional baseball players found no connection between smokeless tobacco use and player performance. Using smokeless tobacco increases your heart rate and blood pressure within a few minutes. This can cause a buzz or rush, but the rise in pulse and blood pressure places an extra stress on your heart. Myth: Good gum care can offset the harmful effects of using dip or chew. Truth: There is no evidence that brushing and flossing will undo the harm that dip and chew are doing to your teeth and gums. Myth: It's easy to quit using dip or chew when you want to. Truth: Unfortunately, nicotine addiction makes quitting difficult. But those who have quit successfully are very glad they did. Quitting PlanKicking the dip or chew habit can be tough, but it can be done, and you can do it.The best way to quit smokeless tobacco is to have a quit date and a quitting plan. These methods make it easier. Try what you think will work best for you.
THIS IS MY QUIT DATE
MONTH: _______ YEAR: _______ FILL IT IN!
What About Medications?
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