Public health authorities do not endorse either smoking fewer cigarettes or switching to lower tar and nicotine brands as a satisfactory way of reducing risk. In fact, one of the required cigarette warnings for packages and advertisements in the U.S. is, "SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health."
It can be difficult to quit cigarette smoking, and many smokers who try to quit do not succeed. Millions of smokers in the United States and around the world have succeeded, however, using a variety of methods.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, "Quitting is hard. Usually people make two or three tries, or more, before finally being able to quit. Each time you try to quit, you can learn about what helps and what hurts."
A wealth of expert quitting information exists from public health authorities and others, including a national quitline number (1-800-QUITNOW) that puts smokers in touch with programs that can help them quit.
This toll-free number serves as a single access point to the
National Network of Tobacco Cessation quitlines. Callers automatically are routed to a state-run quitline, if one exists in their area. If there is no state-run quitline, callers are routed to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) quitline.
Click on the links at right to obtain further information on quitting smoking directly from U.S. Government, public health organizations and other quitting smoking resources, or read below to learn about accessing this information and more using QuitAssist™.
QuitAssist™ is a free information resource offered by Philip Morris USA. QuitAssist™ connects cigarette smokers who have decided to quit with expert quitting information from public health authorities and others.
Cheryl K. Olson, Sc.D., a respected public health writer, wrote and edited the information for QuitAssist™ in conjunction with a review board with expertise in the area of smoking cessation. To learn more, visit the
QuitAssist™ website.
