Tobacco use is a major preventable cause of premature death and disease worldwide. Currently, approximately 5.4 million people die each year due to tobacco-related illnesses—a figure expected to increase to more than 8 million a year by 2030. Unless the current trend is changed, the vast majority of these deaths are projected to occur in the developing world.
CDC's Office on Smoking & Health launched the Tips From Former Smokers (TIPS) campaign on March 15, 2012, to raise awareness of the human suffering caused by smoking and to encourage smokers to quit. The TIPS campaign underscores the immediate damage that smoking can cause to the body and features people who experienced smoking-related diseases at a relatively young age. These compelling, personal stories communicate the real and devastating consequences of smoking.
After years of smoking cigarettes, Christine lost her teeth and half her jaw to oral cancer. In this video, Christine talks about the toll tobacco use can take, not only on the person who uses it, ...
Christine started smoking in high school to fit in, but she never thought she smoked enough to be a “real smoker.” She was diagnosed with oral cancer at 44, and lost her teeth and half of her jaw d...
Sharon started smoking at 13. In her late 30s, she was diagnosed with throat cancer. She was a busy mom with two children. She made their lunches, took them to school, and was active in parent-teac...
Like many teenage girls, Sharon started smoking in junior high school to fit in. She thought since all her friends were smoking, it was the cool thing to do. Sharon’s 12-year-old granddaughter is i...
In this commercial, Tiffany encourages smokers get help to quit for good, using proven methods like smoking cessation counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, before they need to have their voi...
Sharon started smoking at 13. When she was in her late 30s, she was diagnosed with throat cancer and she quit smoking. Despite repeated surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, doctors had to remove ...
In this video, Christine talks about how her smoking affected her children, particularly her 17-year-old son. While she was going through treatment, she says her son had to become head of the house...
Christine started smoking in high school to fit in, and continued to smoke for many years. She was diagnosed with oral cancer in her early 40s. She lost her teeth and had half of her jaw removed. I...
In this video, Christine talks about the things she did before her oral cancer surgery to make sure her children would have a happy life if she died. She wrote letters filled with life lessons, spe...
Christine began smoking in high school to fit in. She became addicted and continued to smoke for many years. At 44, she was diagnosed with oral cancer. She lost her teeth due to radiation treatment...
Brian started smoking before he was a teenager. He had a heart attack at 35 and has had serious health problems since then as a result of smoking. He most recently had part of his lung removed due ...
Becky smoked and now has end-stage COPD. In this video from CDC's Tips From Former Smokers campaign, Becky talks about how her life has changed now that she needs continuous oxygen. Although she’s ...