Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
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Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through video calls and online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
- Referrals to patient-related programs or resources
- Donations, website, or event-related assistance
- Tobacco-related topics
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- Cancer Information
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
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- Common Questions About Causes of Cancer
- Is Cancer Contagious?
- Lifetime Risk of Developing or Dying From Cancer
- How to Interpret News About Cancer Causes
- Determining if Something Is a Carcinogen
- Known and Probable Human Carcinogens
- Cancer Clusters
- Cancer Warning Labels Based on California's Proposition 65
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- Reasons to Quit Smoking
- Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time
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- Making a Plan to Quit and Planning Your Quit Day
- Quitting Smoking or Smokeless Tobacco
- Quitting E-cigarettes
- Nicotine Replacement Therapy to Help You Quit Tobacco
- Dealing with the Mental Part of Tobacco Addiction
- Prescription Medicines to Help You Quit Tobacco
- Ways to Quit Tobacco Without Using Medicines
- Staying Tobacco-free After You Quit
- Help for Cravings and Tough Situations While You're Quitting Tobacco
- How to Help Someone Quit Smoking
- Why People Start Smoking and Why It’s Hard to Stop
- Keeping Your Kids Tobacco-free
- Empowered to Quit
- Harmful Chemicals in Tobacco Products
- Is Any Type of Tobacco Product Safe?
Reasons to Quit Smoking
Lots of studies have been done about the benefits of quitting smoking. Decades of research have found several good reasons to quit, including health and financial benefits that can save lives and money. While it’s best to quit as early in life as possible, quitting at any age can lead to a better health and lifestyle.
Quitting can make you look, feel, and be healthier
- Using tobacco leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ of the body.
- Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death.
- Secondhand smoke is dangerous and can harm the health of your friends and family.
Quitting can help you save money
- Cigarettes and other tobacco products are expensive.
- The risk for getting colds and other respiratory problems is lower, meaning fewer doctor visits, less money spent on medicines, and fewer sick days off work.
- Cleaning and home repairs could cost less since clothes, furniture, curtains, and the car won’t smell like tobacco.
Quitting can improve self-confidence and lead to a better lifestyle
- Not using tobacco products helps keep your family safe.
- Your may have more energy, helping you have more quality family and leisure time.
- Quitting can set a good example for others who might need help quitting.
- Others will be proud of your progress and willpower to quit and stay quit.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
This content has been developed by the American Cancer Society in collaboration with the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center to help people who want to learn about quitting tobacco.
Smokefree.gov Reasons to quit. Available at https://smokefree.gov/quit-smoking/why-you-should-quit/reasons-to-quit. Accessed October 10, 2020.
US Department of Health and Human Services. What you need to know about quitting smoking: Advice from the Surgeon General. Available at https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-cessation-sgr-consumer-guide.pdf. Accessed October 10, 2020.
Last Revised: October 10, 2020
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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