Quit Smoking

American Cancer Society's “Guide to Quitting Smoking” explains why it’s so hard. This lengthy guide covers the effects of smoking on the body and lists social and economic reasons to quit. It describes what happens to your body when you stop smoking, and the immediate rewards of quitting. This guide also tells you what to look for in smoking cessation programs.

Quitline Iowa published “Common Myths sbout Quitting Smoking,” available in a PDF document. The article encourages people to stop, with reasons such as “Quitting is expensive.”

WhyQuit.com is a site run by a tobacco-cessation educator. If you have the stomach for it, check out the gallery of people who have died from or are currently fighting tobacco-related illnesses, including those caused by smokeless tobacco. Then scroll down to view pictures of diseased lungs and people in the hospital.

American Cancer Society has a page for those who want to stop using smokeless tobacco (also known as chewing tobacco). Although it’s not as lethal as cigarettes, smokeless tobacco still poses serious health risks, including oral and tongue cancer.

Smoking Cessation is a nonprofit site devoted to helping people quit. What sets this page apart is a calculator that helps you figure out how much you’re spending each week, month or year on cigarettes. Scroll down the left side of the homepage to find it.

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Cancer Society can help you figure out the best way to quit by assessing your smoking habits in a six-question quiz.

American Academy of Family Physicians has a number of smoking cessation resources, including this “Why Do I Smoke?” quiz that helps you figure out your reasons and offers alternatives. For people who smoke because of stress, for example, the site recommends other ways to manage tension.

American Lung Association has a free online cessation program called “Freedom from Smoking.” Completing the program requires free registration. 

American Academy of Family Physicians discusses how to quit smokeless tobacco. For some, nicotine replacement might be a good technique, but talk to your doctor to be sure.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has an interactive tool that you can download to your desktop or PDA that gives you a five-day countdown to quit smoking, with tips and resources.

QuitNet has a calendar feature you can use to plan your day to quit and track your progress. You’ll also get daily tips for quitting based on your personal situation.

National Cancer Institute has a brief overview of the methods used to quit smoking, such as the types of counseling available and nicotine replacement products.

American Family Physician is a peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Family Physicians. It has an article that outlines the different quitting methods in more detail and rates their effectiveness. The article is a little more technical but still readable.

Healthwise outlines the different types of nicotine replacement available. This site describes who should and shouldn’t use the different products, how they work, how well they work and their side effects.

Cleveland Clinic has a page explaining how clinical hypnotherapy works and its benefits and drawbacks. While there are no specifics on hypnotherapy for quitting smoking, the site does provide a solid overview of the technique.

American Society of Clinical Hypnosis has a member search page that allows you to search by state and specialty to find a hypnotherapist. There’s no “smoking cessation” specialty, so search “addictions.”

The Cochrane Collaboration is a nonprofit organization devoted to reviewing scientific evidence. This report concludes that acupuncture is not an effective technique for people who are trying to quit smoking, but that it might have some value as a placebo.

Discovery Health explains what to expect from an acupuncturist if you go, but doesn’t draw a conclusion on the technique’s effectiveness.

ClinicalTrials.gov is a clearinghouse operated by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and provides a list of research clinical trials currently underway to test experimental treatments for smoking cessation. To learn more about clinical trials, speak to your doctor, and read the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's guide.

Nicotine Anonymous has a database of meetings throughout the United States and 30 other countries around the world. If there are no meetings in your area, use the “Starter Kit” link on the left to learn how to start one. NA also offers meetings via the Internet and telephone.

WhyQuit.com is a site run by a Chicago-area smoking cessation teacher. This page is full of links to online smoking cessation forums.

National Cancer Institute has a page of fact sheets that cover many aspects of life without smoking. Topics covered include handling irritability and frustration, getting through the morning without a cigarette and many more.

Smokefree.gov has short articles on managing cravings when you quit, and resources if you slip up.

WhyQuit.com has a “Reinforcement Library” to discourage relapses. The main message through these articles is “Never take another puff.”