Most people who quit can live longer and feel healthier, even if they have used tobacco for many years. For example, even smokers with serious health problems such as lung cancer and emphysema will experience health benefits from quitting.
If you have tried to quit tobacco, you know how hard it can be. Don't give up. There are proven ways to help you quit successfully and we are here to help.
This page offers support and tools for tobacco users, their friends and family members to help individuals quit and stay quit. If you have more questions about tobacco and your health, talk to your doctor or nurse.
Quitting at its Best
Double or Triple Your Success
Tobacco users who try medications to quit can be more successful than people who quit without medications. Many health insurers cover all or some of the cost of these medicines and/or offer additional quitting resources to their members. Check with your insurance company or ask your pharmacist to find out what your plan covers. Your provider can also recommend options.
Click here for the CHA Pharmacy.
CHA Tobacco Treatment Program
Using tobacco is unhealthy. Smoking also affects others; your spouse, your children, pets, co-workers, and other family members.
Each time you quit; you learn things about yourself. With support, you can use what you've learned from past attempts to develop a plan to quit for good. You can also learn and practice new strategies to deal with things you found difficult the last time around.
CHA’s Tobacco Treatment Program helps and supports tobacco users quit. Our trained Tobacco Treatment Specialists work with you to develop a plan that is best for you. They are ready Monday through Friday to answer questions you may have, and to make referrals where appropriate. Call 617-591-6922 for more information on tobacco use, quitting and how CHA can help.
Services
- Community Tobacco Education -- workshops and educational sessions on tobacco treatment in the community, including community events.
- Interpreter and Translation – If you speak a language other than English at home, we have information in many languages and interpreter services available so you can get what you need and be inspired to quit. Call 617-591-6922 for more information on tobacco use, quitting and find out what CHA has to offer.
Resources
Stopping smoking and using other tobacco products is the most important step tobacco users can take to protect their health. Studies show that evidence-based helplines are effective and have increased quit smoking rates by 20% to 30%. Below are some resources to help you get started.
- Make Smoking History – a free stop-smoking service from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health; their interactive website can help you design your own quit plan, track how you are doing, and celebrate big steps on the way
- There are many free quit-smoking mobile-app resources, like the QuitNow app and the Kwit app.
- Take this quiz to understand more about why you smoke
- Get tips and ideas about how to cope with the stresses and activities of life without smoking
- Learn more about e-cigarettes from smokefree.gov
- Join an online smoking cessation support group
- Get live, online assistance from the National Cancer Institute's LiveHelp Service
- Access a step by step quit guide and online, phone, and text support for quitting from the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the CDC. This site also has special resources for veterans, teens, and Spanish-speakers.
- Resources on dip, smokeless, and chewing tobacco and how to quit.
- QuitWorks – offers free telephone-based tobacco treatment.
Fast Facts About Quitting
When you quit smoking, your body gets healthier in just minutes, and the benefits last a lifetime! See below for surprising and encouraging information about what happens to your body when you quit smoking.
- 20 minutes after quitting, your blood pressure drops; the temperature in your hands and feet rises
- 8 hours after quitting, the carbon monoxide (a gas that can be toxic) in your blood drops to normal
- 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting, you have better circulation, your lungs start working better
- 1 to 9 months after quitting, coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath go down; your lungs are now healthier, lowering your risk of lung infections
- 1 year after quitting, your risk for heart disease is half that of a smoker's
- 5 years after quitting, your risk of having a stroke is the same as someone who never smoked
- 10 years after quitting, your risk of dying from lung cancer is half that of a smoker's; your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas also decreases
- 15 years after quitting, your risk of heart disease is the same as someone who never smoked