Stop Smoking

Reduce Your Chances of Returning to the Hospital

It’s never too late to quit smoking. Quitting smoking now improves your health and reduces your risk of heart disease, cancer, lung disease and other smoking-related illnesses. Here are some tips to help you be successful.

• Get ready: Set a quit date and stick to it. Think about past attempts to quit. Why didn’t they work?
• Get support and encouragement: Tell your family, friends and coworkers you are quitting. Talk to your doctor or other health care provider. Get group, individual or telephone counseling.
• Learn new skills and behaviors: Change your routine. Reduce stress. Distract yourself from urges to smoke. Plan something enjoyable to do each day. Drink lots of water and other fluids.
• Talk to your health care provider about which medication is best for you.
• Be prepared for relapse in difficult situations: Avoid alcohol. Be careful around or avoid other smokers. Improve your mood by other means. Eat a healthy diet and stay active.

For more information on ways to quit smoking, call the SC DHEC Quitline at 800-QUIT-NOW. This service provides free one-on-one coaching by phone or web-based support.