How Not To Quit

Many people try to ease their way into quitting by “toning down” their smoking habit with alternative tobacco products .

Low Tar / Nicotine

Switching to low tar and nicotine cigarettes sounds like a first step toward a healthier lifestyle, but studies have found that smokers end up smoking more cigarettes and inhaling more deeply, trying to get the same nicotine dose as they got with their regular cigarettes.

Natural

“All natural" cigarettes claim to have no chemicals or additives in them, but they still contain tobacco, and the smoke from “natural” cigarettes contains carcinogens and toxins like tar and carbon monoxide.

Herbal

Herbal cigarettes contain no tobacco, but the act of simply smoking them creates tar and carbon monoxide.

Clove

Clove cigarettes contain about 2/3 tobacco and 1/3 ground cloves and other additives. Chemicals found in cloves have been linked to asthma and other lung diseases, and research has shown that smoking clove cigarettes produces more nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar than regular cigarettes.

Non-Smoking Tabacco

Switching to a non-smoking type of tobacco like snuff or chewing tobacco, or smoking cigars or a pipe and not inhaling still puts you at an increased risk for cancer of the lips, mouth, tongue, and throat as well as other health problems like tooth loss, gum disease, and bone loss in your jaw. And believe it or not, one large cigar can contain as much tobacco as an entire pack of cigarettes.

Menthol

Some people think menthol cigarettes might be less harmful to their health. The menthol makes your throat feel cooler when you inhale, and it decreases your cough reflex. But studies have shown that menthol smokers inhale more deeply and hold the smoke in their lungs longer than regular cigarette smokers. Another study found that menthol smokers have a harder time quitting, and suggest that they first switch to non-menthol cigarettes to wean themselves off menthol, and then try to quit smoking altogether.