Ideas in this flowchart

• Reducing tobacco-related disease and death requires avoiding smoking or quitting.
• The only proven strategy is never to smoke or to quit if you smoke.
• Quitting is beneficial at any age and any time, but quitting sooner is better.
• Quitting gives the body a chance to heal damage caused by smoking.
• Health risks decline progressively after quitting.
• The risk of a heart attack drops sharply after 1 year.
• Stroke risk can become about the same as a nonsmoker’s after 2–5 years.
• Risks for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder are cut in half after 5 years.
• The risk of dying from lung cancer drops by half after 10 years.
• Longer smoking increases disease risk, while quitting early can nearly restore nonsmoker health.
• Disease risk surges even higher after smoking for about 20 years.
• Quitting by age 30 can make health almost as good as a nonsmoker’s.
• Quitting often requires several attempts.
• Nicotine replacement and non-nicotine medications can make quitting easier.
• Withdrawal and nicotine-related patterns are part of quitting.
• The first days after quitting are the most uncomfortable.
• Physical symptoms of nicotine addiction end about 3 weeks after quitting.
• Urges may continue when waking, drinking coffee, or spending time with friends because these patterns take longer to break.
• Tobacco addiction can be overcome.