Smoking harms nearly every organ in your body and negatively impacts your overall health and well-being. It is known to cause heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, osteoporosis, cancer, and death. Becoming completely tobacco-free, including smoking, vaping or other tobacco use, is the best thing you can do for your health.

 The Good News

• Quitting tobacco use is hard, but you can do it.

• Quitting can reverse the damage that smoking has had on your health and reduce your chance of dying from smoking-related disease.

• You will experience immediate health benefits when you stop smoking, vaping, or chewing tobacco.

• It only takes 20 minutes to start reversing the negative effects of smoking.

• It’s never too late to quit and start improving your health.

When you’re ready to quit smoking, we’re ready to help.

The Maine QuitLink can make it easier and increase your chances of quitting for good. You are 2-3 times more likely to quit with the Maine QuitLink than when you try to quit on your own.

Here are some Quit Tips from the Maine QuitLink

1. Don’t quit quitting. If you slip up, try again and again until you are successful.

2. Pick a quit date. Don’t smoke or vape on that day, no matter what happens.

3. Ask a family member or friend to help you through those moments when you feel like smoking or vaping.

4. Be sure to get rid of all your smoking and vaping materials, such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, ashtrays, lighters and e-juice before your quit date.

5. If you’re making another attempt to quit smoking or vaping, think about what didn’t work before. Develop a plan that will help you make your attempt more successful this time.

6. Make a list of all your reasons for quitting. When you feel the urge to smoke or vape, take out the list and read it.

7. Put the money you would spend each day on cigarettes or e-cigarettes in a piggy bank. Use it to reward yourself for staying tobacco-free.

8. Go to places where you know you will not be allowed to smoke or vape, like the mall, the movie theater, or the library.

9. Stay busy. Garden, write a letter, or start that project you’ve been meaning to get to.

10. Remember that each urge to smoke or vape only lasts a few minutes.