According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, millions of smokers in the United States have attempted to quit smoking and 70 percent report that they want to quit completely. There are several anti-smoking support groups available to help those who want to quit. Quitting smoking has many benefits, including an improvement in circulation and blood pressure.
Government Resources
The government has several anti-smoking resources to support those who want to quit smoking. These resources consist of websites, phone-based services, booklets and guides, information and research on products designed to help you quit and information about many other groups that support those who want to kick the habit. The government smoke free website contains a quiz about withdrawal symptoms and information about smoking cessation studies. This site also contains a link to information about how to contact an expert about quitting. A link to this website is in the Resources section.
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society, or ACS, has a guide to quit smoking that contains information such as when and why you should quit. This guide also contains information to help smokers understand the mental and physical aspects of a smoking addiction and some of the rewards to quitting smoking. According to the ACS, more people are able to stay smoke-free when they use medicine. A link to its website is in the Resources section.
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association, AHA, provides information about quitting smoking, including why you should quit smoking and the connection between smoking and cardiovascular disease. The AHA website discusses how to avoid gaining weight when you quit smoking and has a cost of smoking calculator where you can calculate the cost spent per month and year on cigarettes. A link is in the Resources section.
American Legacy Foundation
The American Legacy Foundation, ALF, has a five-day plan to get ready to quit program. This plan is known as the EX plan and it teaches you how to re-learn life without cigarettes. According to the ALF, certain things can cause people to stumble when trying to quit and its program can show you how to deal with those obstacles. The EX plan is also available as an app for your iphone. There is a link in the Resources section.
American Lung Association
The American Lung Association, ALA, also has an anti-smoking support program known as Freedom from Smoking. This program is available in different formats such as a group clinic, a self-help book and an online program. The ALA has a cessation counselor available on the Lung Helpline to talk to those who are trying to quit. There is a link in the Resources section.
References
- MedLine Plus: Quitting Smoking
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Smoking and Tobbaco Use: How to Quit Smoking
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Smoking and Tobbaco Use
- American Cancer Society: Guide to Quitting Smoking
- American Heart Association: Why Quit Smoking
- American Legacy Foundation: Become an EX Smoker
