How to Quit Smoking: Counseling, Medicines, and Using Both

Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do for your health — however old you are and however long you've smoked. Many people who smoke are addicted to nicotine, a drug found naturally in tobacco, which makes quitting hard. But there are proven treatments that help, and more than half of U.S. adults who ever smoked have quit.

The best chance of quitting for good: counseling and medication together.

Counseling

Counseling helps you make a plan and prepares you to cope with stress, urges to smoke and other problems along the way.

• Talk to a quit-smoking counselor, one-to-one or in a group.
• Get free, confidential coaching from a quitline.
• Use free online help, a texting program or the quitSTART app.

Medicines

Medicines ease nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings, helping you stay confident and motivated.

Combining a long-acting form (the patch) with a short-acting one (gum or lozenge) raises your chances further than one form alone — how to combine them.

Many treatments may be free or covered by insurance. CDC's infographic You can quit smoking: here's how (en español) sums it up.

Ready to quit?

Call a quitline coach or talk to a health care professional. They can help you choose the right treatment and connect you with programs and resources. If you've tried before, keep trying — that's the key to success.

Free help to quit

Sources

Based on "How to Quit Smoking," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.