Smoking and COVID-19
Smoking tobacco may increase the risk of serious complications from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Now is a good time to quit for keeps. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or enroll online for free help.
Did You Know?
Smoking Causes Lung Cancer and Type 2 Diabetes
Current and former smokers who meet certain guidelines may qualify for free lung cancer screening. Learn more about lung cancer screening.
Diabetics who smoke are 3x more likely to develop heart disease and/or require amputations. Smoking also makes it harder to manage diabetes and to keep blood sugar in control. Learn more about diabetes management and prevention.
Smoking doubles your risk of having a stroke. Learn more about the connection between smoking, heart disease, and stroke.
Menthol is More Addictive
Mentholated tobacco products can be more addictive and harder to quit than non-mentholated products. Menthol and Your Health Fact Sheet (pdf).
Vaping and Nicotine Addiction
People who vape nicotine are at risk for nicotine addiction due to the high levels of nicotine in vaping devices. Vaping nicotine can cause heart problems and high blood pressure, as well as feelings of depression and anxiety. Vaping devices are not FDA-approved cessation devices. Using both cigarettes and vaping devices increases your risk of lung and cardiovascular diseases.
Tobacco Use and Other Chronic Diseases
Using commercial tobacco products comes at a cost. Tobacco use causes 12 types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cataracts, gum disease, infertility, stroke, pre-term birth, COPD, rheumatoid arthritis, and can lead to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Using commercial tobacco products can also weaken the immune system, making infections from tuberculosis and HIV harder to fight. If you are ready to quit using tobacco products, try one of the free resources below.
Free Quit Support Services
Youth
- 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669)
- 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (335-3569)
- Smokefree Teen
- Quit the Hit
- This is Quitting text 'DITCHVAPE' to 88709
- Live Vape Free text 'VAPEFREE' to 873373
Adults
- 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669)
- Text 'READY' to 34191*
- 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (335-3569)
- Text 'LISTO' al 34191*
- 1-888-7AI-QUIT (724-7848)
- 1-800-838-8917 (中文)
- 1-800-556-5564 (한국어)
- 1-800-778-8440 (Tiếng Việt)
- BecomeAnEx
- Smokefree.gov (en español)
- Text 'QUIT NOW' to 333888*
- Text 'DÉJELO YA' al 333888*
- Quit VET
- National Cancer Institute LiveHelp (en español)
- BABY & ME - Tobacco Free
- quitSTART app
*Message and data rates may apply/Se pueden aplicar tarifas por mensajes y datos
Health Care Providers
Systems support and cessation intervention training for healthcare providers increases quit attempts among people who use tobacco products. U.S. Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence (2008 Update) research shows that clinician interventions that integrate tobacco cessation into health care delivery improve chronic disease outcomes, improve effectiveness of cancer treatment, and increase successful quit attempts among patients.
The Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control helps build the capacity of South Carolina health care systems to impact tobacco use by supporting the integration of science-based tobacco intervention protocol for healthcare providers and the adoption of e-referral for the SC Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW). Access health care provider tobacco intervention training or visit the Healthcare Provider section of the SC Tobacco Quitline website.