Forms & Information

Q: "My 65-year-old father has been smoking for decades and refuses to quit. He knows smoking causes cancer but says quitting will do no good because the damage is already done. Would quitting now do anything to reduce his risk?"

Q: “I’ve tried to quit smoking several times, but it never sticks. With Oregon’s new smoking ban in effect, I’m ready to be done with it. Are there any new drugs or programs that can improve my results? What is the most effective, proven way to quit for good?”

Answer from Meera Jain, M.D., co-medical director, Providence Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program:

Q: “I’m 23 years old, and the thing I regret most is putting that first cigarette in my mouth. I’ve been smoking for three years, 18 to 25 cigarettes a day. Today, I decided to quit. In three years of smoking, how much did I damage my body? Is there any chance of becoming as healthy as a lifelong nonsmoker?”

Q: "I quit smoking 15 years ago after smoking a pack or two a day for 28 years. Now I want to do all I can to lessen the effects of my earlier bad habits. Are there any dietary measures, supplements or other strategies you know of that may help prevent cancer?"

Q: “I’m 17, and I've smoked twice in my life, both times last month. Now I’m coughing and my chest has a raw feeling to it. I’m not coughing up blood and I don't have shortness of breath, but I did hold the smoke in my mouth, and I breathed a little second-hand smoke, too. Could I have lung cancer?”

Q: “Are electronic cigarettes safe to use? What about other smoking alternatives, like herbal cigarettes and hookahs?”

Q: "Both of my parents smoked their entire lives and never developed lung cancer. My father's parents were the same. With this family history, do I still need to worry about lung cancer? I only smoke about a pack a week."

Tobacco use today is a pediatric epidemic. According to the Surgeon General’s 2012 report, Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults, adolescents are especially susceptible to the dangers of smoking and nicotine addiction.

If you smoke, one of the most important steps you can take to improve your health is to quit smoking. Providence Health & Services supports you in this effort. The resources below can help you stop smoking for good.

Quitting smoking is not easy. It takes most people an average of six tries before they finally quit for good – but you can up your success rate with the right combination of motivation and support.

Facts about smoking and cardiovascular disease:

You already know that smoking is unhealthy. The word has been out since the first Surgeon General’s Report in 1964. One out of four smokers will die from their tobacco addiction. More than 420,000 will die this year. It is the single most preventable cause of death or illness in our country.

Imagine, for a moment, being inside your lungs, watching the millions of tiny hairs called cilia do their job of filtering out impurities. Then, observe as the smoke from one cigarette invades the lungs, paralyzing the cilia for 24 hours.

Let’s get specific: Review this chart to remind yourself of the risks of smoking and the benefits of quitting.

The American Cancer Society’s guide to quitting smoking including questions people need to know about quitting and the steps to do so.

The American Lung Association website is a patient and care provider resource with information about respiratory illnesses from asthma to emphysema. Includes causes, warning signs and symptoms, research and patient care treatment resources.

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and the smoke exhaled by smokers. Secondhand smoke is also called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and exposure to secondhand smoke is sometimes called involuntary or passive smoking. Secondhand smoke contains more that 4,000 substances, several of which are known to cause cancer in humans or animals.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services resource page on Smoking Cessation including a quick guide to healthy living and tools to quit.

U.S. National Library of Medicine Medline Plus topic tool on quitting smoking. Provides a guide, overview, research and resources.

U.S. National Library of Medicine Medline Plus topic tool on what smoking is and does to the body.

National Cancer Institute home page with links to all cancer topics, clinical trial information, statistics, research and treatment information.

National Cancer Institute’s overview of Prevention and steps for how to get into a cessation program.

National Cancer Institute’s page on free resources available to help someone quit smoking, including the national Quit Line.

Quitnet is an online community dedicated to quitting smoking. It includes a community room, resources, tools and support for people who want to quit online.