Ready to quit smoking?
The facts about smoking
To enroll in Quit the Nic call 800-811-1764
- Smoking causes cancer. Tobacco use accounts for about one third of all cancer deaths in the United States. Smoking causes almost 90 percent of lung cancers.
- Smoking is possibly the single largest preventable cause of cancer death. In 2000, about 1.4 million cancer deaths, or more than one in every five worldwide, were caused by smoking.
- More than seven million current and former smokers suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the name used to describe both chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
- Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in the United States.
- Kids are at risk. Every single day nearly 4,400 youngsters between the ages 12 and 17 start smoking.
Can quitting really help?
The sooner smokers quit, the more they can reduce their chances of getting cancer and other diseases. Here's what the U.S. Surgeon General has reported:
- 20 minutes after quitting — Your heart rate drops.
- 12 hours after quitting — The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
- 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting — Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
- 1 year after quitting — The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
- 5 years after quitting — Your stroke risk is reduced to that of someone who has never smoked.
- 10 years after quitting — The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's.
- 15 years after quitting — The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker's.
Act now
We want to help you quit smoking. If you are a commercial member, we invite you to call 800-811-1764 to enroll in our free smoking cessation program — Quit the Nic.
Quit the Nic includes a battery of tools to help you quit smoking and is available to all members. You get educational materials and opportunities to talk with registered nurses about how to kick the habit. You’ll also get ongoing telephone support to help keep you motivated.
If you have prescription drug coverage and enroll in Quit the Nic, you are covered for over-the-counter and prescription nicotine replacement products for three months. To ensure coverage, Quit the Nic requires a doctor’s prescription for both over-the-counter and prescription nicotine replacement products. Coverage can be repeated after six months if you re-enroll in the program.
To learn more, read our Quit the Nic Brochure (225K PDF).
Did you know
You can increase your chances of giving up smoking for good. Quit the Nic quit rate is higher than the national average for similar programs.
page modified 01/12/2009