Quit Smoking Hotlines: Reach Out and Talk to Someone

Quit Smoking Hotlines: What Are They?

Quit smoking hotlines (or quitlines) are telephone based quit smoking services that are available with varying hours from Monday to Friday to all residents in the US free of charge. Quit smoking hotlines assist people who are looking for help to quit smoking. Services offered can vary from one-on-one counseling to everyday tips to help you quit.

You can also get referred to tobacco cessation programs in your community, request that quit smoking materials be sent to you in the mail and in some cases, receive free tobacco cessation medications.

What to Expect When You Call

The services that are provided by hotlines vary between hotlines but the North American Quitline Consortium lists the following as the services you may expect to receive when you call:

• Telephone counseling
• Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
• Referrals to local cessation programs
• Training for health care professionals and the public
• Mailed quit smoking materials
• Web-based services

Most Popular Quitlines

Here you will find a listing of the most popular and prevalent quitlines around the world:

1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)

The most popular and most frequently called quit smoking hotline is the one operated by the federal government. The quitline routes callers to their state run hotlines and lets them speak to tobacco addiction counselors in order to receive one-on-one counseling or any other services that may be offered by individual state quitlines.

1-800-NO-BUTTS (1-800-622-8887)

This is the quitline dedicated to providing services in the state of California. It is operated by the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. The staff are all highly qualified specialists in addiction and counseling treatment who have a bachelor’s degree or higher and they are there to listen to you with a focus on being supportive and helpful. Services are offered in all six of the major languages spoken in California, English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese. You can sign up to receive free motivational and supportive text messages, get free quit smoking informational materials mailed to you and free nicotine patches.

1-855-QUITVET (1-855-784-8838)

The Veterans Administration has also set up a quit smoking hot-line specifically for veterans in the United States. Any veteran receiving treatment from the VA is eligible to use the QuitVet quitline. Veterans and their families can receive free counseling, referrals to local cessation programs and follow up calls to prevent relapses.

1-877-44U-QUIT (877-448-7848)

The National Cancer Institute has established their own quitline along with an online portal to assist people in quitting smoking. Counseling and support are available in most spoken languages in the US. They can also help you design a specified quit smoking plan tailored to your age, medical history and motivations to quit smoking.

1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669)

This is the quitline to the Tobacco Free Florida tobacco cessation program. The Tobacco Free Florida program was one of the first state tobacco cessation programs to be created and it has gained national renown as one of the most comprehensive and most successful. Over the years Tobacco Free Florida has transitioned more to web-based services, like online counseling and chat room sessions with trained counselors, although you can still receive counseling over the phone as well as free nicotine patches.

The Importance of Quitlines

A 2008 report by the Surgeon General stated that “quitline counseling can more than double a smoker’s chances of quitting”. Ever since then, however, new services have been added than can increase a person’s chance of quitting even more. Counseling aids, free smoking cessation products and online counseling and support have increased quitlines effectiveness significantly.

However, not all quitlines are the same and they do not offer all of the services that they could if they had enough funding. That’s why organizations like the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control continue to advocate on behalf of quitlines and their need for more funding, since quitline services vary from state to state.

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