According to the American Cancer Society, 20 minutes after you stop smoking your heart rate and blood pressure drop. Two weeks to 3 months after quitting, your circulation improves and your lung function increases. A year after you quit smoking, your risk for a heart attack drops by a lot. After 15 years smoke-free, your risk of coronary heart disease is almost that of someone who never smoked.

Either counseling or medicine can work well to help you quit. But using counseling and medicine together works even better to help you quit for good. These 2 types of counseling work especially well: problem-solving and skills training (practical counseling) and social support. Replacing cigarettes with e-cigarettes or vaping will still expose you to nicotine, which is highly addictive in any form. Vapor from some e-cigarettes contains chemicals known to be toxic or cause cancer (carcinogens).

People who smoke are less likely to get pregnant than those who don't. In men, smoking leads to erectile dysfunction. It can reduce sperm count and damage sperm. Smoking increases risk of heart disease and can lead to stroke or heart attack. Smoking has also been linked to other cancers, leukemia, cataracts, and pneumonia. Secondhand smoke is linked to lung cancer and other serious problems in adults and children. Pregnant people who smoke are at increased risk of having a baby born too soon (premature birth). Smoking can also damage the baby’s developing lungs and brain. It also increases the risk of birth defects and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

The things that lead to nicotine addiction are similar to those that cause other substance use addictions, or substance use disorders. Risk factors may include:

• Family history (genetics)
• Trauma, stress, or another environmental factor
• Mental health issues such as anxiety or bipolar disorder
• Physical changes in the brain caused by the substance

According to the CDC, nearly 9 out of 10 cigarette smokers were no older than 18 when they first tried smoking. Each day more than 1,600 people under age 18 smoke their first cigarette, the CDC says.