The University of Texas at Austin supports its employees and students who want to quit using tobacco products by offering tobacco cessation programs at no or low cost. Learn more.
The Counseling and Mental Health Center offers the Quitters smoking cessation program, which is a free, 4 class program for currently enrolled students and is facilitated by a licensed professional staff member.
Learn more about Quitters Class.
Additional Information and Resources to Help You Quit:
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
As part of a comprehensive smoking cessation program, the American Heart Association recommends NRT as an effective tool to help quit smoking. Below are a few options:
Gum or Lozenges - Type of chewing gum or lozenge that delivers nicotine to the bloodstream through tissues in the mouth.
Transdermal (Skin) Patches - Release nicotine through the skin.
Inhaler - A thin, plastic cartridge that contains a porous nicotine plug at its base. By puffing on the cartridge, a person extracts and absorbs nicotine vapor through the lining of their mouth.
Nasal Spray - An aerosol nicotine spray contained in a spray to deliver nicotine to the user through their nostrils and rapidly absorbed by the nasal membranes inside the nose.
Popular Brands - NicoDerm CQ®, Nicotrol®, Nicorette®, and Commit®.
There are a variety of non-addictive prescription medications such as Bupropion (Wellbutrin®, Zyban®) and Varenicline (Chantix®). Using bupropion or nicotine replacement therapies alone doubles the odds of successful quitting. A combination of these methods increases success rates even more. Some products are available at the Forty Acres Pharmacy in the SSB Lobby.
Tobacco Cessation Websites and Online Quit Programs
The following websites are good resources for tobacco users who want to quit and individuals wanting to help a tobacco user succeed at quitting. These websites offer helpful tips, information, social support, diversions from cravings, and reinforcement for one of the best decisions a tobacco user can make - to quit.
QuitNet is an excellent resource for smoking cessation information and support. It features a "Q-Gadget" that keeps track of the number of days you have added to your life, the amount of money you saved, and the number of cigarettes that you have not smoked since you quit. It also offers chat rooms and bulletin boards.
Quit Smoking Support.com - This site provides quit smoking help, support, advice, products, and information, including bi-weekly e-mails with smoking cessation tips, a weekly newsletter, and a chat room.
Smokefree.gov - Smokefree.gov provides an online step-by-step cessation guide, information on local, state, and national telephone quitlines, an instant messaging service, and numerous publications that may be downloaded, printed, or ordered.
Smokefree Women - Learn about topics that interest women on how to quit smoking. Connect to advice through instant messages and telephone.
Nicotine Anonymous is a Non-Profit 12-Step fellowship of men and women helping each other live nicotine-free lives. Nicotine Anonymous welcomes all who seek freedom from nicotine addiction, including those already using other cessation programs and nicotine withdrawal aids. The fellowship offers group support and recovery using the 12 steps as adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous to achieve abstinence from nicotine.
Tobacco & Nicotine Online Information
Tobacco Information and Prevention Source (TIPS) - TIPS is a division within the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, one of the centers within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The site provides research, data, reports, educational materials, and guides to help quit using tobacco products.
How Nicotine Works - This online publishing company and a reliable source for clear, unbiased, reliable explanations of how many, many things actually work. How Nicotine Works offers an in-depth discussion of nicotine the drug and how it affects the body and mind.
Research Report Series: Nicotine Addiction - This NIDA research paper on nicotine addiction provides a thorough examination of the drug nicotine, how it works, medical consequences, and other relevant topics.
