Nicotine dependence

Nicotine dependence is a chronic condition and is the most common form of chemical dependence in the U.S. Quitting tobacco use is difficult and may require multiple attempts, as users often relapse because of withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and increased appetite.


According to the 2004 Surgeon General’s Report—The Health Consequences of Smoking:

• Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body.
• Quitting smoking has immediate and long–term benefits.
• Smoking cigarettes with lower machine-measured yields of tar and nicotine provides no clear benefit to health.
• The list of diseases caused by smoking has been expanded to include: abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute myeloid leukemia, cataract, cervical cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, pneumonia, periodontitis and stomach cancer. These are in addition to bladder, esophageal, laryngeal, lung, oral and throat cancers; chronic lung diseases; coronary heart and cardiovascular diseases as well as reproductive effects and sudden infant death syndrome.
  

Health Benefits of Cessation

• People who stop smoking greatly reduce their risk of dying prematurely.
• Smoking cessation lowers the risk of lung and other types of cancer.
• Risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and peripheral vascular disease is reduced. CHD risk is substantially reduced within one to two years of cessation.
• Cessation reduces respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
• 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.
  

5 Tips for Quitting Smoking

1. Do not smoke any number or any kind of cigarette. Smoking fewer or “low-tar, low-nicotine” cigarettes usually does little good.
2. Write down why you want to quit. Smokers who live after a heart attack are the most likely to quit for good—they are very motivated. Find a reason for quitting before it’s too late.
3. Know that it will take effort to quit smoking. Half the battle in quitting is knowing you need to quit. Take quitting one day at a time, even one minute at a time—whatever you need to succeed.
4. Half of all adult smokers have quit, so you can too. There are millions of people alive today who have learned to face life without a cigarette.
5. Get help if you need it. Many groups offer written materials, programs and advice to help smokers quit for good. Your physician or dentist is also a good source of help and support.

For more information or for help quitting smoking, call the NJ State Smoker’s Quitline at 1-866-NJSTOPS or visit the following web sites: www.nj.quitnet.com or www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/index.htm