Tobacco use is the number-one preventable cause of death in the United States. Another reason to quit: Researchers at the University of Illinois learned that smoking will cause your penis to shrink 1.8 cm. in your lifetime! The reason is because you need good blood flow to have an erection. The carbon monoxide in cigarettes causes fat and plaque to stick to the walls of your blood vessels, causing them to calcify.

Information and Self-Tests

Tobacco Addiction (PDF File – Feel free to reprint)
This file, part of the National Institute of Drug Abuse’s Research Report Series, discusses tobacco addiction, consequences, comorbidity, treatment, and more.

Addicted.com
Has an interactive quiz for tobacco dependence. The professionals affiliated with the site have questions and answers posted and, you can ask your own questions as well. AddictedSpace features online forums on different topics encompassing first-time visitors, family and friends, addictions, the recovery process, mental health support and recovery, military, and general and community. AddictedTube has videos from a variety of sources and subjects, from recovering addicts to professionals, ranging from natural ways to ease anxiety to how to spot cocaine addiction.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / Office on Smoking and Health (OSH)
This is the lead federal agency for comprehensive tobacco prevention and control, with about 75% of their funds going to tobacco control initiatives. There are resources to quit, fact sheets, reports, and other information.

National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation (NATC)
NATC is a collaboration of national organizations and state public health programs. They have two fact sheets that might be useful: Adults & Smoking and Smoking Cessation under their “Resources” page.

Smoking Cessation

Great American Smokeout
The Great American Smokeout is held annually on the third Thursday in November. You can find out more from the American Cancer Society at http://www.cancer.org/

SmokeFree Philly
A program of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health that coordinates smoking cessation programs, public awareness and anti-marketing initiatives, and monitors and promotes restricting youth access to tobacco products. In addition to Philadelphia-based quit smoking programs, the website offers information about the composition of cigarettes, support tools for the smoker and friends and family, information about the Clean Indoor Air Worker Protection Law for Philadelphia and the Clean Indoor Air Act for Pennsylvania for both workers and business owners and managers, and more.

Pennsylvania Free Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week free telephone counseling in English and Spanish.

Smoking Cessation Leadership Center: Smoking cessation for persons with mental illness: A toolkit for mental health providers (updated Jan. 2009)
Although intended for providers, is informative for the general public and has a patient pull-out section.

American Lung Association
Education, advocacy and research organization that has Web-based quit program, annual and special reports such as state report cards (State of Tobacco Control Report), and other information about what is happening on the federal and local level. There are two membership options for the online quit program; one is free, and the other is not. They are appropriate for both people who are trying to quit and for people who have already quit. You can access that site from the American Lung Association’s Website through the “Stop Smoking” tab or directly from the Freedom from Smoking Website: http://www.ffsonline.org. Another affiliated site is http://www.quitterinyou.org/. You can also call the American Lung Association Lung HelpLine at 1-800-LUNG-USA (548-8252) for experienced help on smoking cessation and other topics.

American Cancer Society (ACS)
ACS has information and resources about smoking and tobacco, quitting smoking, and lung and other cancers. There are downloadable tools like posters, stickers, and a smokeout countdown clock.

American Heart Association (AHA)
AHA has information about the cardiovascular effects of smoking, videos, and resources for such things as handling slips (Emergency Urge Control). It was easiest to find the information by using the search box at the top and using a keyword like “tobacco” or “smoking” or by going to the site index and choosing Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease from the “Healthy Lifestyle” tab on the left side.

EX
A campaign of the American Legacy Foundation, which is dedicated to stopping tobacco deaths, and joined by a number of states, public health organizations, nonprofits, foundations, and companies dedicated to help people quit smoking. It is a free online service in which users can access some of the content as a guest or, create a confidential profile and track their progress, work on and save workbook exercises, and join the online community. They have additional resources, some of which are included here, that you might find helpful.

Healthy Monday
They have a program called “Quit and Stay Quit Monday” and the option to sign up to receive weekly relapse prevention tips via e-mail, text or RSS feed from About.com. Additionally, there is a blog and an online forum on About.com. http://quitsmoking.about.com/

Stop Smoking – Support Groups, Tips, Blogs
A list of resources to help you quit smoking.

Women

Smokefree Women
This site offers free information and professional assistance to help support the immediate and long-term needs of women trying to quit smoking. There is information about relationships and smoking and weight management, for example.

Articles

“Personal Health: Trying to Break Nicotine’s Grip” (Brody, Jane E., The New York Times, 05/20/08)
An article about tobacco addiction and sources for treatment.