Tobacco

Quitting smoking results in the following health benefits:

• Lower risk for lung cancer and many other types of cancer.
• Reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease (narrowing blood vessels outside your heart), and lung diseases including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
• Less coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
• Reduced risk for infertility in women of childbearing age. Women who stop smoking during pregnancy also reduce their risk of having a low birth weight baby.

• Youth and Adult Quit Resources

Adult Quit Resources

• Michigan Tobacco Quitline free information, tobacco treatment referral, online program, and text messaging. 24 hours/day at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (1-855-335-3569).
• American Cancer Society quit tobacco resources. 1-248-663-3454 or 1-800-227-2345.
• Nicotine Anonymous face-to-face, telephone and online meetings. You do not need to be tobacco free to attend. 1-877-879-6422
• smokefree.gov quit resources for women, veterans, people 60+, teen, and more
• American Indian Commercial Tobacco Quitline American Indian coaches provide services that have been developed by and for American Indians. offered in partnership with the Michigan Tobacco Quitline. 1-855-372-0037
• American Lung Association quit smoking classes, and telephone quit advice. 1-800-548-8252
• Asian Smokers Quitline free telephone counseling, self-help materials, and online help in four Asian languages (Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese). Chinese: 1-800-838-8917, Korean: 1-800-556-5564, Vietnamese: 1-800-778-8440

Youth Quit Resources

• Michigan Tobacco Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW Available to all ages. All callers under 18 are served-no age limit. No questions about insurance are asked. Parental permission is not needed for enrollment. Youth will receive four coaching call appointments and materials to help them quit.
• My Life My Quit is an ongoing text based youth quit tobacco and vaping program that offers free and confidential help from a quit coach specially trained to listen to teens, help teens navigate social situations that involve tobacco or vaping, and find healthy ways to cope with stress. 1-855-891-9989
• smokefree.gov has sections for teens that offers a quitting app, text services, and a live chat
• The Truth - A campaign educating youth about the dangers of tobacco including vaping, media and tobacco industry awareness and quitting smoking. Also offers text messaging program called This is Quitting to help youth quit cigarettes or vape.
• EX Program expands on BecomeAnEX to provide an enterprise-level tobacco cessation program designed for employers and health plans. The program includes an active social network of smokers and ex-smokers, and delivers proven quit-smoking treatment via interactive quitting tools and video, live chat, text message, email, and quit medication.
• This is Quitting
• National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens fact sheets, games, videos, and infographics designed for teens. Includes information on smoking and e-cigarettes.

Resources for Educators: Alternatives to Suspension

• Aspire – MD Anderson Cancer Center. Aspire is a bilingual, online tool that helps middle and high school teens learn about being tobacco free. It explains the dangers of tobacco and nicotine use, it gives helpful information and ways to quit. Students can earn a certificate of completion upon finishing the program.
• CATCH My Breath – University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health. A best-practices youth E-cigarette and JUUL prevention program.
• INDEPTH: An Alternative to Teen Nicotine Suspension or Citation INDEPTH is an American Lung Association alternative to suspension program that addresses teen vaping. INDEPTH is taught by any trained adult in four, 50-minute sessions that cover tobacco facts, addiction, alternatives, and next steps.
• My Life My Quit is an ongoing text based youth quit tobacco and vaping program that offers free and confidential help from a quit coach specially trained to listen to teens, help teens navigate social situations that involve tobacco or vaping, and find healthy ways to cope with stress. 1-855-891-9989
• N-O-T: Not On Tobacco. N-O-T is the follow-up youth cessation program that is recommended after the INDEPTH program. The N-O-T cessation program is taught by any trained adult in ten, 50-minute sessions that covers tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes.
• Prime for Life is an evidence-based motivational prevention, intervention and pretreatment program specifically designed for people who might be making high-risk choices.
• Second Chance - Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Second Chance is a web-based tobacco education program for middle and high school youth who have violated a tobacco policy at school or a law in the community. It is a free online, interactive, and self-directed program intended to be used as an alternative to suspension. The program may also be helpful for teens that are experimenting with tobacco but have not violated tobacco policy. Second Chance is not a cessation program.
• The Real Cost of Vaping is a Scholastic campaign that includes curriculum and activities for grades 6-12. The Real Cost of Vaping helps educators play a role in fighting the teen vaping epidemic.
• This is Quitting – The Truth is a free youth digital quit program for electronic nicotine delivery devices (i.e. e-cigarettes). Students can access the program by texting "DITCHVAPE" to 88709. Parents and other adults looking to help can text "QUIT" to 202-899-7550. 

• OCHD E-Cigarettes/Vaping webpage
• OCHD E-Cigarettes/Vaping Fact Sheet

Smokeless tobacco is chewed, snuffed, or placed between the gum and the cheek or lip. It contains nicotine, which is highly addictive.

Health risks of using smokeless tobacco:

• Can cause gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss
• White or gray patches inside the mouth (leukoplakia) that can lead to cancer
• Increased risk for death from heart disease and stroke
• Nicotine poisoning in children
• During pregnancy can increase the risk for early delivery and stillbirth

Hookahs are water pipes used to smoke specially made tobacco that comes in different flavors, such as apple, mint, cherry, etc. Hookah smoking has similar health risks to cigarette smoking.

Health risks of using Hookah:

• Hookah contains highly addictive nicotine
• An hour-long hookah smoking session involves 200 puffs, while smoking an average cigarette involves 20 puffs
• The charcoal used to heat the Hookah tobacco produces high levels of carbon monoxide, metals, and cancer-causing chemicals
• Infections may be passed between smokers since Hookah mouthpieces are shared in groups
• Secondhand smoke from hookahs can be a health risk for nonsmokers

Secondhand smoke is smoke from burning tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, vape, or pipes. It is also smoke that has been exhaled by the person smoking. There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure. Any amount can be harmful.

Health Risks of Secondhand Smoke

In children:

• Ear infections
• Frequent and severe asthma attacks
• Respiratory symptoms (coughing, sneezing, and shortness of breath)
• Respiratory infections (bronchitis and pneumonia)
• A greater risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

In adults who have never smoked:

• Heart disease, including heart disease death in nonsmokers
  • Nonsmokers breathing secondhand smoke has immediate harmful effects on the heart and blood vessels
• Lung cancer, including lung cancer death in nonsmokers
• Stroke

Tips to Prevent Secondhand Smoke Exposure

• Quitting smoking if you smoke
• Do not allow anyone to smoke anywhere in or near your home
• Do not allow anyone to smoke in your car, even with the windows down
• Make sure your children's child care center and schools are tobacco-free
• Teach your children to stay away from secondhand smoke
• Be a good role model by not smoking or using any other type of tobacco

Pregnant Individuals

• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of health problems for developing babies, including premature birth, low birth weight, and birth defects of the mouth and lips. Smoking during and after pregnancy also increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Quitting smoking is one of the most important ways you can protect yourself and your baby's health. Quitting early or before pregnancy is best, but it's never too late to quit smoking. Talk to your doctor to help provide support and resources. Call the MI Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW for other available help.

Veterans

• Did you know that smoking complicates other health issues including Post Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD)? People living with PTSD are 40-60% more likely to smoke and become heavy smokers. It also makes recovery harder. Think about the goals of your PTSD treatment. How does smoking keep you from reaching those goals? Use the same skills to manage your PTSD symptoms and deal with nicotine cravings.
• Visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Tobacco and Health page for more information

People who live with behavioral health conditions (anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, etc.)

• Are more likely to smoke and smoke more than people without these conditions.
• Those who smoke die almost fifteen years earlier than individuals without these disorders who do not smoke.
• Account for nearly half of tobacco-related deaths each year. The most common causes of death include heart disease, cancer, and lung disease.

Those facing extra challenges in successfully quitting may benefit from extra assistance. See the "quit resources" and "other resources" sections for help.

• American Cancer Association
• American Heart Association
• American Lung Association
• Center for disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Detroit-Wayne-Oakland Tobacco Free Coalition
• Macomb County Tobacco Prevention Coalition
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) - Online Tobacco Resource Library 
• MDHHS Quit Resource List
• National Institute of Health
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services