For those especially vulnerable to the health effects of smoking, the reasons to quit escalate.
- Quitting decreases the chances of other drug use.
- For those with diabetes, heart disease, COPD, asthma, or cardiovascular disease, quitting reduces hospital stays, limits complications, and helps the effectiveness of certain medications.
- For pregnant women and new mothers, quitting protects your baby’s health.
- For hospitalized patients, quitting promotes healing.
- For heart attack patients, quitting reduces the risk of a second heart attack.
- For lung, head and neck cancer patients, quitting reduces chances of a second cancer.
- For parents, quitting protects children from illnesses caused by secondhand smoke and reduces the likelihood they will start smoking.