CDC's 2012 Tips From Former Smokers campaign helped more than 100,000 Americans quit smoking

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2012 Tips From Former Smokers campaign helped more than 100,000 Americans likely quit smoking for good, exceeding the original goal of 50,000, the agency announced Wednesday. 

The 2013 Tips campaign generated 150,000 additional calls to quitlines and 2.8 million additional website visits.

"The Tips from Former Smokers campaign shows the painful effects of smoking through former smokers, in a way that numbers alone cannot,” stated  CDC director Tom Frieden. “These are the kinds of ads that smokers tell us help motivate them to quit, saving lives and money.”

This January will mark the 50th anniversary of the first Surgeon General's Report linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer.