Health Effects of Smoking Tobacco Information

Smoking tobacco can be harmful to your health. Tobacco contains a poisonous (toxic), colorless chemical called nicotine.

Nicotine is addictive. It changes the brain and can make it hard to stop smoking. Tobacco also has other toxic chemicals that can hurt your body and raise your risk of many cancers.

How can smoking tobacco affect me?

Smoking tobacco puts you at risk for:

• Cancer. Smoking is most commonly associated with lung cancer, but can also lead to cancer in other parts of the body.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is a long-term lung condition that makes it hard to breathe. It also gets worse over time.
• High blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, stroke, or heart attack.
• Lung infections, such as pneumonia.
• Cataracts. This is when the lenses in the eyes become clouded.
• Digestive problems. This may include peptic ulcers, heartburn, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
• Oral health problems, such as gum disease and tooth loss.
• Loss of taste and smell.

Smoking can affect your appearance by causing:

• Wrinkles.
• Yellow or stained teeth, fingers, and fingernails.

Smoking tobacco can also affect your social life, because:

• It may be challenging to find places to smoke when away from home. Many workplaces, restaurants, hotels, and public places are tobacco-free.
• Smoking is expensive. This is due to the cost of tobacco and the long-term costs of treating health problems from smoking.
• Secondhand smoke may affect those around you. Secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer, breathing problems, and heart disease. Children of smokers have a higher risk for:
  • Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  • Ear infections.
  • Lung infections.

If you currently smoke tobacco, quitting now can help you:

• Lead a longer and healthier life.
• Look, smell, breathe, and feel better over time.
• Save money.
• Protect others from the harms of secondhand smoke.

What actions can I take to prevent health problems?

Quit smoking

• Do not start smoking. Quit if you already do.
• Make a plan to quit smoking and commit to it. Look for programs to help you and ask your health care provider for recommendations and ideas.
• Set a date and write down all the reasons you want to quit.
• Let your friends and family know you are quitting so they can help and support you. Consider finding friends who also want to quit. It can be easier to quit with someone else, so that you can support each other.
• Talk with your health care provider about using nicotine replacement medicines to help you quit, such as gum, lozenges, patches, sprays, or pills.
• Do not replace cigarette smoking with electronic cigarettes, which are commonly called e-cigarettes. The safety of e-cigarettes is not known, and some may contain harmful chemicals.
• If you try to quit but return to smoking, stay positive. It is common to slip up when you first quit, so take it one day at a time.
• Be prepared for cravings. When you feel the urge to smoke, chew gum or suck on hard candy.

Lifestyle

• Stay busy and take care of your body.
• Drink enough fluid to keep your urine pale yellow.
• Get plenty of exercise and eat a healthy diet. This can help prevent weight gain after quitting.
• Monitor your eating habits. Quitting smoking can cause you to have a larger appetite than when you smoke.
• Find ways to relax. Go out with friends or family to a movie or a restaurant where people do not smoke.
• Ask your health care provider about having regular tests (screenings) to check for cancer. This may include blood tests, imaging tests, and other tests.
• Find ways to manage your stress, such as meditation, yoga, or exercise.

Where to find support

To get support to quit smoking, consider:

• Asking your health care provider for more information and resources.
• Taking classes to learn more about quitting smoking.
• Looking for local organizations that offer resources about quitting smoking.
• Joining a support group for people who want to quit smoking in your local community.
• Calling the smokefree.gov counselor helpline: 1-800-Quit-Now (1-800-784-8669)

Seek Additional Information

You may find more information about quitting smoking from:

• HelpGuide.org: www.helpguide.org  
• Smokefree.gov: smokefree.gov  
• American Lung Association: www.lung.org  

Contact a health care provider if you:

• Have problems breathing.
• Notice that your lips, nose, or fingers turn blue.
• Have chest pain.
• Are coughing up blood.
• Feel faint or you pass out.
• Have other health changes that cause you to worry.

Summary

• Smoking tobacco can negatively affect your health, the health of those around you, your finances, and your social life.
• Do not start smoking. Quit if you already do. If you need help quitting, ask your health care provider.
• Think about joining a support group for people who want to quit smoking in your local community. There are many effective programs that will help you to quit this behavior.