Health Promotion

TOBACCO-FREE LIVING: STRENGTH STARTS WITH YOU

For Marines, readiness means being strong—physically, mentally, and operationally. Choosing a tobacco-free lifestyle is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to enhance performance, recovery, and overall health.

This November, during Tobacco-Free Living Month and the Great American Smokeout (November 20, 2025), challenge yourself and your fellow Marines to take the first step toward quitting tobacco—for your health, your team, and your mission.
 

Tobacco and Your Health

Tobacco use remains one of the leading causes of preventable disease and death. Every year, more than 480,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses, and over 16 million live with at least one disease caused by tobacco (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023).

• Heart & Lungs: Smoking damages arteries, raises blood pressure, and is the leading cause of lung cancer (Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2023).
• Diabetes & Cancer: Smokers are 30–40 % more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and tobacco use causes 1 in 5 cancers (American Cancer Society, 2024).
• Readiness Impact: Chronic conditions reduce endurance, increases downtime, and may affect your ability to deploy.

Protecting your health protects your mission.
 

Tobacco and Mental Fitness

Many Marines use tobacco to manage stress, but nicotine actually increases it. While nicotine can create a short sense of calm, withdrawal quickly brings irritability, anxiety, and fatigue (CDC, 2022).

Service members facing high-stress environments are especially vulnerable, veterans with psychological distress are twice as likely to use tobacco (CDC, 2018). Quitting tobacco supports clearer thinking, better focus, and improved emotional control, all key to Total Force Fitness (Human Performance Resource Center [HPRC], 2023).
 

Tobacco and Physical Performance

Tobacco directly affects endurance, recovery, and overall combat readiness.

• Reduced Endurance: Smokers can have up to a 10 % drop in aerobic capacity compared to nonsmokers (U.S. Marine Corps Community Services [MCCS], 2023).
• Slower Recovery: Nicotine limits oxygen to muscles, delaying healing and repair.
• Impaired Senses: Smoking reduces night vision and hearing sharpness.
• Training Success: Tobacco use is a key predictor of training failure (Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, 2023).

Staying tobacco-free keeps you mission-ready; stronger, faster, and sharper.
 

The Great American Smokeout

Each November, the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout encourages millions to quit tobacco for one day, often the first step toward quitting for good. Use this day to set your quit date, encourage your peers, and start a plan.

You don’t have to do it alone. Support and resources are available on every installation and online through:

• Warfighter Wellness: warfighterwellness.org/tobacco
• YouCanQuit2: youcanquit2.org
• 1-800-QUIT-NOW: Free, confidential quitline support
• Health Promotion Clinics: Contact your local Semper Fit or Health Promotion Office for cessation counseling and support programs
   

The Benefits of Quitting

Your body starts healing right away:

• 20 minutes: Heart rate and blood pressure drop.
• 2 weeks–3 months: Lung function and circulation improve.
• 1 year: Heart disease risk drops by 50 % (CDC, 2023).

Quitting isn’t about perfection—it’s about persistence and readiness. Each attempt brings you closer to success.
 

Final Word

The Great American Smokeout is more than a national observance, it’s a mission challenge. Every Marine who quits strengthens the Corps through better health, endurance, and resilience.

Be Tobacco-Free for Your Health. For Your Team. For Your Mission.
 

References

American Cancer Society. (2024). Great American Smokeout. https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/great-american-smokeout.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Tobacco use among veterans — United States, 2010–2015. MMWR, 67(1), 7–12. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6701a2

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Mental health and smoking. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Smoking and tobacco use: Fast facts. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/about/index.html

Food and Drug Administration. (2023). Health effects of tobacco use. https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/health-effects-tobacco-use

Human Performance Resource Center. (2023). Total Force Fitness: Tobacco-free living. https://www.hprc-online.org

Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center. (2023). Don’t be the weakest link: It’s time to quit using tobacco. https://www.med.navy.mil

U.S. Marine Corps Community Services. (2023). How tobacco use affects your capabilities as a Marine. https://www.usmc-mccs.org/news

Warfighter Wellness. (2024). Tobacco-free living. https://warfighterwellness.org/tobacco-2/