The Great American Smokeout, 2018

This page is based on a CDC notice published before the Great American Smokeout of November 15, 2018.

The American Cancer Society's 43rd annual Great American Smokeout took place on November 15, 2018. The yearly event encourages people who smoke to make a plan to quit.

Where smoking stood

A CDC report published at the same time found that in 2017, 14.0% of U.S. adults were current cigarette smokers, the lowest level since monitoring began in 1965. Even so, smoking remained the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States: an estimated 480,000 U.S. adults die each year from cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.

Quitting is possible

People who smoke can and do quit; former smokers now outnumber current smokers. Among adults who smoke, nearly two in three want to quit, and about half had tried to quit in the previous year. Effective help, counseling and medication, can as much as triple the chances of quitting.

Free information and support are available at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), and CDC's Tips From Former Smokers campaign offers more resources.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Great American Smokeout — November 15, 2018." MMWR 67(44). https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6744a1.htm
• American Cancer Society, Great American Smokeout: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/great-american-smokeout.html; CDC Tips From Former Smokers: https://www.cdc.gov/tips