You may not remember your reasons for starting to smoke, but here are three good reasons to quit:
- You’ll be more likely to resist colds and flu
- You’ll look and feel healthy
- You’ll save money
Check out what the research says:
Just the Facts
Did You Know?
The Good
- 1 year after quitting, the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone who still smokes. Your heart attack risk drops dramatically.
- Significant bone loss has been found in older women and men who smoke. Quitting smoking appears to reduce the risk for low bone mass and fractures.
- Smokers who quit before the age of 40 “reduce their chance of dying prematurely from smoking-related diseases by more than 90 percent.”
- By quitting, a pack-a-day smoker in Indiana will save over $2,000 per year on average. Calculate how much money quitting smoking will save you here.
The Bad
- Smoking negatively affects your sex life and reproductive system, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, and decreases immune system function.
- Wherever smoke touches living cells, it does harm. In 2020, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults in Indiana was 19.4%. Nationally, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults was 15.5%.
The Ugly
- Secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including more frequent and severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Smoking during pregnancy results in more than 1,000 infant deaths annually.
- Nearly 30 percent of cancer deaths in the country can be attributed to tobacco use.
- Smoking cigarettes kills more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, HIV, guns, and illegal drugs combined.
Research
Kick the Habit
As many tobacco users know, kicking the habit is not easy. But success rates increase with every attempt to quit. At Indiana University and beyond, there are resources and support systems ready to help you quit tobacco!
IU Employee Benefits
The Indiana Tobacco Quitline is available to all Indiana residents, seven days a week, at no cost.
When you call the Quitline, a trained Quit Coach will provide:
- An assessment of readiness to quit
- A customized quit plan
- Motivation and problem-solving advice
- Up-to-date information about nicotine replacement therapy
- A Quit Kit tailored to your needs, including materials in English or Spanish
- Referral to cessation services offered by local resources or by health plans
Quitline staff are skilled at working with people who use all forms of tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, pipes, cigars, and e-cigarettes.
To enroll call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit QuitNowIndiana.com.
Tobacco Cessation Prescription Benefits
Eligibility: Anyone enrolled in an IU-sponsored medical plan
IU employee medical plans cover 100 percent of the cost of tobacco cessation prescription and over-the-counter tobacco replacement products. Coverage is limited to a 180-day supply per covered individual per year. Covered prescription drugs include Chantix, Zyban (bupropion), and Nicotrol. Over-the-counter products require a prescription in order to be covered under the employee’s medical plan.
Tobacco Affidavit
Eligibility: Full-time Academic and Staff employees and spouses who are enrolled in an IU-sponsored medical plan
During Open Enrollment, you can complete an affidavit indicating you and/or your spouse do not use tobacco and will not in the future. Completing the affidavit will reduce your premium contribution by $25 per month for you or your spouse, or $50 for both. Contact HR for more information.
Area-Specific
Monroe County Health Department / IU Health — Beat Tobacco: Beat Tobacco is a smoking cessation program led and sponsored by IU Health Bloomington Hospital, designed to educate and support you in your decision to be tobacco free.
Bloomington Housing Authority — Quit Tobacco: Free 8-week smoking cessation class. Includes Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches/gum/lozenges). Four weeks of teaching and four weeks of Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
IU Student Health Center, Health and Wellness Tobacco Cessation: It’s quitting time. Many students use nicotine products to cope with stress from school, work, or family expectations. But did you know Indiana University is tobacco- and smoke-free? This includes all types of vaping products (also known as e-cigarettes). At the Student Health Center, we can help you kick the habit. Our tobacco and vaping cessation services are FREE, and we won’t lecture you.
Baby & Me Tobacco Free: An evidence based, smoking cessation program created to reduce the burden of tobacco on the pregnant and postpartum population. Programs are available in and near the Bloomington area.
IUPUI Health Services: Tips and cessation opportunities to help make the transition to a nicotine-free life a little easier.
IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Tobacco Treatment Program: One-on-one counseling, assistance with medication options and other resources for Simon Cancer Center patients. Services are provided by highly skilled Tobacco Treatment Specialists. Call 317-944-7848 or email stoptobacco@iuhealth.org
Marion County Health Department — Tobacco Prevention and Cessation: Dedicated to preventing youth initiation, helping tobacco users quit and protecting individuals from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
Baby & Me Tobacco Free:An evidence based, smoking cessation program created to reduce the burden of tobacco on the pregnant and postpartum population. Programs are available in and near the Indianapolis area.
IU Health Cessation Programs: Smoking cessation programs offer you a variety of tools and support to make the quitting process easier so that you can begin to restore your health.
Franciscan Health Aspire Tobacco Free Program Indy Bike Hub YMCA: Education, guest speakers, support group, and nicotine replacement therapy.
Columbus Regional Health — Healthy Communities Tobacco Cessation Class: Group tobacco cessation classes for adults 18 years and older.
IU Health Cessation Programs: Smoking cessation programs offer you a variety of tools and support to make the quitting process easier so that you can begin to restore your health.
Baby & Me Tobacco Free: An evidence based, smoking cessation program created to reduce the burden of tobacco on the pregnant and postpartum population. Programs are available in and near the Columbus area.
Pinnacle Treatment Center: Counseling, individual and group therapy
Reid Health Tobacco Cessation Program Reid can provide you with the resources to help you quit!
Saint Joseph Health System — Freedom from Smoking: A seven-week, eight-session smoking cessation program offering the skills and techniques that have been proven to help smokers quit.
Baby & Me Tobacco Free: An evidence based, smoking cessation program created to reduce the burden of tobacco on the pregnant and postpartum population. Programs are available in and near the South Bend area.
Parkview Health Center for Healthy Living — Freedom from Smoking: A free 7-week program developed by the American Lung Association® to help you quit smoking.
Tobacco Free Allen County: Information on tobacco cessation programs in Allen County.
Dupont Resource Center — Lutheran Health Network Dupont Hospital: The Center offers a variety of lectures, counseling and support groups for both men and women—all in a relaxed, homelike setting. Most classes are free.
Fort Wayne Allergy & Asthma Consultants, Inc: Breathe easier, take life in. This resource provides general education and information.
Baby & Me Tobacco Free: An evidence based, smoking cessation program created to reduce the burden of tobacco on the pregnant and postpartum population. Programs are available in and near the Fort Wayne area.
YMCA Tobacco Cessation: If you or someone you know is ready to free themselves from tobacco, free resources for quitting are available.
Community Health Network Nicotine Dependence Program: Each quit smoking class includes a QuitSmart Stop Smoking Kit and personalized instruction from a Certified QuitSmart Leader. Individual instruction also is available, either in person or over the phone.
St. Vincent Tobacco Management Centers: Resources and tips to quit. Find a location near you.
Franciscan Health — Aspire Tobacco Free Program: Education, guest speakers, support group, and nicotine replacement therapy.
Baby & Me Tobacco Free: An evidence based, smoking cessation program created to reduce the burden of tobacco on the pregnant and postpartum population. Programs are available in and near the Kokomo area.
Community HealthNet Health Centers — Tobacco Cessation Program: Community HealthNet Health Centers offers individual and group sessions. It’s easy and FREE to join!
Tobacco Free Lake County: Tobacco Free Lake County (TFLC) serves all Lake County residents, workers, and organizations. Our mission is to train schools, communities, health care professionals, and individual people in tobacco prevention and quitting tobacco. All services are free or at low cost.
Methodist Hospitals’ Smoking Cessation Classes: Methodist Hospitals’ Smoking Cessation Classes are based on the highly successful American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking Program, which has helped people across the U.S. take control of their health by quitting smoking.
Franciscan Health — Aspire Tobacco Free Program: Education, guest speakers, support group, and nicotine replacement therapy.
Pinnacle Treatment Center: & Counseling, individual and group therapy.
Baby & Me Tobacco Free: An evidence based, smoking cessation program created to reduce the burden of tobacco on the pregnant and postpartum population. Programs are available in and near the Gary area.
Parkdale Addiction Center for Professionals: Provides tobacco cessation support services, screenings and counseling.
Southern Indiana Rehab Hospital — Freedom from Smoking Clinic: Free, 7-week, 8-session smoking cessation program. Call 812-941-6159 to learn more.
Baptist Health Floyd Cancer Center — Freedom From Smoking Clinic: Free, 7-week, 8-session smoking cessation program.
Wellness Coalition of Southern Indiana Cooper Clayton Smoking Cessation Program: A safe and effective comprehensive behavioral program to help people stay smoke-free for the rest of their lives.
Clark Memorial Health Smoking Cessation Program: Clark Memorial’s Smoking Cessation Program, in conjunction with the Clark County Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coalition, can help you every step of the way. Through our partnership with the Coalition, quit coaches will help you create the cessation plan that’s right for you, whether you want to quit cigarettes or spit tobacco.
Baby & Me Tobacco Free: An evidence based, smoking cessation program created to reduce the burden of tobacco on the pregnant and postpartum population. Programs are available in and near the New Albany area.
Statewide Resources
Standing order for tobacco cessation products: State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, issued a standing order effective Aug. 1 2019 allowing Hoosiers to purchase tobacco cessation products at Indiana pharmacies without having to obtain an individual prescription. Indiana becomes only the 12th state with a policy or standing order allowing pharmacists to prescribe tobacco cessation products, eliminating financial and time barriers for individuals considering quitting smoking.
Indiana Tobacco Prevention & Cessation — Indiana State Department of Health: Works to prevent and reduce the use of all tobacco products in Indiana and to protect citizens from exposure to tobacco smoke.
Indiana Tobacco Quitline: Offers tools that are convenient, effective and confidential to help Hoosiers quit for life.
Breathe Easy Indiana — Indiana’s Smoke-Free Air Law: Designed to help Hoosiers understand the new law and to keep you informed of the changes and progress on this issue.
Indiana Latino Institute: Focuses on decreasing youth and adult tobacco use and the number of Hoosiers expose to secondhand smoke.
Indiana Minority Health Coalition: Designed to provide programs and services that improve health outcomes for Indiana residents.
Indiana Rural Health Association: Provides the latest information and resources on how to effectively quit smoking.
VOICE: Engages, educates, and empowers teens to celebrate a tobacco free lifestyle.
Nationwide Resources
American Lung Association Helpline and Quitline: Leads the way in lung health education, lung disease research, support, programs, services and advocacy.
American Cancer Society: Funds and conducts research, shares expert information, supports patients, and spreads the word about prevention.
Smokefree.gov: Resources for veterans, women, teens, Spanish speakers, 60+ populations, and more.
Truth Initiative: Provides youth smoking prevention & education, community and youth engagement, quitting tools and programs.
Stop Tobacco Mobile Trainer: A free app to help strengthen your motivation to quit smoking, manage anxiety, invent tricks to beat the hook of tobacco and learn to control your environment so that you're better adapted to the changes in this new stage of your life.
Smoke Free — Quit Smoking Now: A free app that helps track progress of cessation by showing how long a person has been smoke-free, how much money they have saved from not smoking, how their health is improving and more.
This Is Quitting: A first-of-its-kind program to help young people quit vaping.
BecomeAnEx: Quit-smoking plan and online community of thousands of smokers and ex-smokers developed by Truth Initiative in collaboration with Mayo Clinic.
American Heart Association: Works to fight heart disease and stroke, striving to save and improve lives.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Provides up to date information and resources on tobacco cessation.
World Health Organization Tobacco Free Initiative: Provides information, articles, and resources related to tobacco cessation.
National Latino Tobacco Control Network: Provides informational blogs and articles surrounding tobacco use and cessation.
National LGBT Tobacco Control Center: Works to reduce tobacco, cancer, and other health disparities within LGBT communities.
National Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Promotes the adoption of proven solutions that are most effective at reducing tobacco use and save the most lives.
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights: Creates comprehensive programs to prevent the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and smoking among youth and adults.
U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce: Works to increase screenings and referrals for preventive services.
National African American Tobacco Prevention Network: Works to provide culturally competent public health programs to benefit communities and people of African descent.
Take Down Tobacco: National day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco.
World No Tobacco Day: Raises awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, and discourages the use of tobacco in any form.
Did you know IU is a tobacco-free university? Find more information at Tobacco-Free IU