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Whether you are ready to quit or just thinking about it, call 1-800-QUIT NOW for free support with a trained counselor. When you call, a friendly staff person will offer a choice of free services, including mailed self-help literature, a referral list of other programs in your community, and one-one-counseling over the phone.

Another quit line is the the National Cancer Institute's Smoking Quitline, 1-877-44U-Quit, which also offers proactive counseling by trained personnel.

"Re-learn life without cigarettes." That's the motto of a new bilingual website championed by Former US Surgeon General Koop in 2007 that aims to help smokers kick the habit for good. At BecomeAnEX.org, smokers can create free, personalized quit plans while tracking the "triggers" that lead them to light up (i.e., stress, alcohol, parties, or a "jerk-face" boss). And when those cravings start to mount, a live virtual support group will be there to help.

This December, 2008 US News and World Report article begins, "Never mind cancer or heart disease for a moment. Here are some nonobvious reasons to snub cigarettes."

It's not enough simply to use a product. Counseling, and as well as utilizing the classic, boilerplate points for quitting, are critical to succeeding. Our Quitting Tips page includes a useful guide to these critically important boilerplate points. These will empower you with valuable techniques, and will also strengthen your motivation and resolve.

The American Lung Association's
Freedom From Smoking Online

This popular smoking cessation program is now available free. Quitting smoking can evoke a lot of feelings: fear, resentment, relief, and so on. If you stay committed to this online program, and complete all of the assignments, you have a good chance of remaining smoke-free for good. Millions of people have quit smoking and you can too!

I come from a wealthy background, and at one point it occurred to me that wealthy folks may have a harder time quitting smoking, alcohol, or dieting. Why? Because they're used to getting whatever they want, whenever they want it. Those who are not wealthy have much stronger "self-denial muscles."

If you count yourself among the affluent, you might wish to consider an inpatient treatment center. You'd reside in a hospital for up to a week with a group of other people who are also quitting.

Presently, two excellent inpatient programs are offered, at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (they have a second location as well), and St. Helena Hospital in California's Napa Valley. At the St. Helena they offer a 5 day or 10 day inpatient program. You may call them at 866.359.3296.

How are your self-denial muscles? Pretty good, no doubt! Let's see: are you able to easily put off getting a brand new car, or going to a $60 per head restaurant? How about postponing that vacation in Monte Carlo, Aspen, or Florida? Good! If you can do those things, chances are good you won't need an inpatient program, and you'll have all the self-denial muscles you'll need to quit smoking. But you'll need to flex them. And yes, it might hurt a bit.

At www.quitnet.org you can go to a chat room where those quitting are doing it together, not alone. It can be a great source of support -- like a Nicotine Anonymous meeting, but online. This site was put together by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Tobacco Control Program.

Unlike a chat room, at Nicotine Anonymous meetings, you'll find warm bodies, which can be more comforting than a computer screen. If this appeals to you more, pick up your telephone and ask directory assistance for the phone number of your local Nicotine Anonymous chapter. These are based on the classic 12-steps, borrowed from AA. The meetings are free and run entirely by volunteers. If there are no meetings in your city, try calling (800) 642-0666, call a nearby city's directory assistance, or check the website. There you can also find out how to start your own Nicotine Anonymous meeting. That's how it spread all over the U.S.

The opening animated page says it all -- YOU are a target. But your mind is a weapon. "Question It" provides tips to help smokers win their personal battle against tobacco.
Their Kickin' Tips are truly excellent.

800 - QUIT NOW

A great -- and fun -- new website and phone line to help you out, if you're ready to quit smoking or even just thinking about it. There's lots of free stuff, and there are animations at the site -- but they can only send you the free stuff and accept 800-number calls if you live in California, because of limitations on their grant funding. But even if you're not from California, this website -- www.nobutts.ucsd.edu -- is still a lot of fun.

What products quit smoking
programs work best?

With no program at all, 95% of quitters fail, and only 5% succeed. So it's wise to get help. Get into a program. Consider one -- or more -- of the products and programs below.
Print out this page now, as well as our Quitting Tips page. These will serve as a useful and very valuable guide when you quit. Print out these pages now.

Study compares Zyban, nicotine replacement
and a combination of both treatments

A large recent study of 900 patients compared Zyban and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) alone, and in combination.
With the prescription anti-depressant Zyban, the initial success rate was 36% upon completion of therapy. A follow-up study showed a 30% success rate for Zyban, after one year. Zyban is by prescription.
With Nicotine Replacement Therapy the initial success rate was less -- 23%, and only 15% after one year. Nicotine replacement products like the patch and gum are sold over-the-counter, except the nicotine inhaler.
When NRT and Zyban were used in combination under a physician's care, the success rate was 39%, and 35.5% at one year. This study was published in the NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE in March, 1999 was funded by the makers of Zyban.
Remember: with no program, there is only a 5% success rate after one year. With a program, your chances will at least triple (to 15% success rate, with nicotine replacement).
More useful information on programs follows below.

Combining the nicotine patch
and the nicotine inhaler

Two hits of nicotine are better than one if you want to quit smoking, new research shows. A French study suggests smokers may have a better chance to beat their bad habit with a nicotine inhaler and a patch instead of just an inhaler.

At six weeks, 60.5 percent of those who used the combination had quit, while only 47.5 percent of those who used an inhaler alone had stopped, the study finds. At 12 weeks, the numbers were 42 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

After a year, 19.5 percent using the combination had stayed quit, but only 14 percent who used the inhaler alone had remained smokefree.

The study, conducted at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, appears in a recent issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
Patch, gum or inhaler?

This Cochrane Review study done in 1996 and updated in November, 2007, found that nicotine replacement therapies like the patch, gum or inhaler increased chances of quitting by 50% to 70%.

Bear in mind that with no program, only 5% of quitters are still smokefree at the end of 12 months. A 50% increase in the quit rate would mean that 7.5% of those using NRT were successful after 12 months.

Laser treatment is a newly available method. It's for the adventurous; as of November, 2005, we know of no university studies published in mainstream medical journals which provide reliable data on their success rate 12 months after treatment. But with the patch and nicotine gum at an 85% failure rate after 12 months, it might be something to try. Freedom Laser Therapy's laser treatment claims to alleviate nicotine withdrawal symptoms. They also offer a 30 minute video on the psychological aspects of the addiction, and a 30 day vitamin detoxification regimen.

Aversion Therapy

The Schick-Shadel Treatment Centers offer aversion therapy -- self-administering a mild electric shock from an ordinary 9 volt battery as one smokes a cigarette. Studies show a 95% initial success rate, and 50% after a year -- better than all the other programs! But most pharmaceutical companies today are reluctant to add an aversion therapy option to their helpful products. Sadly, they regard aversion therapy as being "not consumer friendly." The Foundation for a Smokefree America hopes that one company will soon get behind this important and proven method of qutting smoking.

Alternative therapies such as hypnosis, acupuncture and herbs have been shown to be far less effective than the above methods. Several controlled studies found they were ineffective.