Butt Out Now: How to Stop Smoking and Stay Cigarette-Free
from the online Back-to-School Health Guide for College-Age Women

Have you ever thought about what makes cigarettes so appealing? Perhaps you're feeling pressure from friends to smoke, or maybe you're just curious about what it's like to inhale. Maybe you think smoking will make people like you more, or help guard against weight gain. Whether you want to kick the habit or you're worried about a roommate or friend who smokes, read on!

Using tobacco can spell big trouble for your health. Did you know one in three people who smoke today will die prematurely? That translates to 1,200 people a day! Nonetheless, 30 percent of college students smoke. In fact, this is the only age group within which smoking rates are on the rise. Of college-aged smokers, 20 percent started in college. Beyond threatening your health, smoking in college has been linked to other problems, including poor academic performance.

Cigarettes contain 4,000 chemicals, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans. Examples include tar, carbon monoxide, ammonia, butane (found in lighter fluid), arsenic and formaldehyde. Most people wouldn't willingly put these toxins in their body. But that's what you do every time you light up. Even if you don't smoke, you're still exposed to dangerous chemicals.

So, why are cigarettes addictive? The drug nicotine; your brain comes to crave nicotine to the point that you need it just to feel good. The younger you are when you start smoking, the more likely you will become strongly addicted. And the longer you smoke, the more damage is done to your body.

More than giving you yellow teeth, bad breath, frequent respiratory infections and weakening bones, smoking can kill. It's blamed for nearly one-third of all cancer deaths, and contributes to heart disease, emphysema and other health problems later in life.

Lung cancer is now the leading cancer in women and men. Nearly all lung cancer cases (90 percent) are due to smoking, and female smokers are at greater risk than men.

So to sum it up, smoking leads to:

• Bad breath
• Yellow teeth and cavities
• Smelly clothes
• Increases in the number and severity of respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and bronchitis
• Reduced physical fitness, making it more difficult to play sports and exercise
• Weakened bones (osteoporosis)
• Damage to your lungs and heart, robbing years of life

How to Quit

To successfully quit, you need to be willing to break habits associated with smoking. Follow these tips:

• Choose a "Quit Day" within the next two weeks.
• Use the Internet to take advantage of online smoking cessation programs like www.smokefree.gov; these tools can help you track your success.
• Avoid places where you would normally light up.
• Stay away from alcohol, which can reduce your willpower.
• Exercise and drink plenty of water or juice.
• Plan activities to keep your mind off smoking.
• Tell friends and family members to be supportive.
• Ask about smoke-free dorms.
• Ask your health care provider about over-the-counter nicotine replacement products (gum and patches).

Questions to Ask Your Health Care Professional

Talk to your health care professional and find out what resources your campus health service offers students who want to quit smoking. You may want to ask:

• What smoking cessation programs are available?
• Which nicotine replacement products would you recommend?
• How will my body react to quitting smoking?
• What can I do to counteract my cravings?
• How can I boost my willpower in social settings?

American Lung Association
1-800-586-4872
www.lungusa.org

Office on Smoking and Health
1-800-232-4636
www.cdc.gov/tobacco

© 2006 National Women's Health Resource Center, Inc. (NWHRC) All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from the NWHRC. 1-877-986-9472 (tollfree). On the Web at: www.healthywomen.org.