The benefits of quitting smoking are endless and they start almost immediately.

About 20 minutes after you quit smoking blood pressure improves, eight hours later the carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal, one year later the risk of heart attack is cut in half, and ten years later the risk of lung cancer is cut in half, according to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

Also although about 46 million American adults smoke cigarettes, most smokers are either actively trying to quit or want to quit. Since 1965, more than 49 percent of all adults who have ever smoked have quit, according to the American Heart Association.

For these and many other reasons the U.S. Department of Defense recently announced a new program designed to help servicemembers and their families stop smoking.

"Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are used to training. Train2Quit doesn't take 8 weeks or even 8 hours.  And although quitting tobacco is tough, we know members of the Armed Forces are even tougher. They can get through this unique and easy-to use online training to get quit-and stay quit." said Capt. David Arday, M.D., a U.S. Public Health Service officer and chairman of the DoD Alcohol and Tobacco Advisory Committee, said in a recent press release.

An addition to the Quit Tobacco - Make Everyone Proud campaign which was initiated by the DoD in 2007, this Web-based program, called Train2Quit, is a free, self-paced, customized smoking cessation program. To participate visit the Web site at www.ucanquit2.org/train2quit.aspx.

The program is divided into several parts, and includes: a step-by-step process for quitting smoking; a 24/7 message board that allows participants to ask questions, share an opinion or get support from others who are attempting to quit smoking; personal stories; information about medicines to help you quit smoking; live chat; games to play to distract you from smoking; self-assessment, smoking and chewing tobacco, and quizzes.

Through the Quit Tobacco campaign, participants can develop a personalized plan for quitting that includes deciding how to quit, tips for picking a quit date, determine what triggers you to use tobacco, and rally support; create a personal or public blog; determine the cost of smoking with a savings calculator, learn how to beat cravings; overcome weight gain; obtain information about nicotine replacement therapy, and communicate with live help online.

The curriculum for the program comprises U.S. Public Health Service tobacco cessation guidelines and best practices, and users can stop at any point in the process and re-start where they left off, tracking their progress throughout the training.  After successfully going through all four modules, they receive a certificate of completion.

Train2Quit offers servicemembers access to personalized web-based resources 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.  Anonymous live chatting with quit coaches is currently available from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. EST, and will soon be available 24 hours a day.

"Smoking cessation programs seem especially helpful for people who smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day," according to a spokesman for the Healthcare Research and Quality's Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence.  "Combining interventions such as physician advice and follow-up with nicotine gum and behavior modification may increase success rates."