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Tobacco Cessation

Ready to Quit?

Tips to Quit    I   Resources

Are you ready to quit using tobacco products and start a healthier and happier life? While it can be hard to give up tobacco products, quitting is one of the best changes you can make for your health.

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Tips to Quit

Here are some helpful tips and resources that you can use to join the millions of ex-tobacco users who proved that quitting is possible:

  1. Quitting helps your health: Quitting using tobacco products will help make all parts of your body healthier! Quitting reduces your risk for lung disease, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and lung cancer. Also, cigarettes wrinkle your skin and turn your teeth and nails yellow, so quitting smoking can help you look better too!
  2. Use resources to help you quit: Resources that are proven to help people quit smoking include:
    • Speaking with your doctor about quitting
    • Attending a support class or counseling session
    • Calling or texting Kick It California’s helpline:
      • 800-300-8086 (English)
      • 800-600-8191 (Spanish)
      • Text QUIT SMOKING to 66819
    • Using over-the-counter treatments like nicotine gum or patches
    • Using medication prescribed by your doctor 
  3. Talk to your doctor: It is a very good idea to talk to your doctor about quitting. They can give you advice and resources that can help you quit for good. They can also tell you about helpful medications or treatments for quitting.
  4. The first days of quitting can be hard, but don’t give up: When trying to quit, you may start to feel anxious or irritable. Some quitters get headaches or have trouble sleeping. This is because your body is re-learning how to live without all the nicotine from tobacco products, and it may take a few days before all these symptoms go away. Some good ways to handle these symptoms include:
    • Eating a healthier diet
    • Exercising or staying active
    • Drinking plenty of water
    • Getting support from your friends and family
    • Reminding yourself why you’re choosing to quit smoking
  5. Never be afraid to ask for help: Your friends and family are a good resource to keep you on track toward your goal of quitting. Resources such as those listed below have helped many ex-smokers stay positive when they started craving a cigarette. Whichever way you choose, don’t ever feel like you have to be on your own when trying to quit.
  6. Keep trying: If it takes you a few tries to quit smoking completely, don’t get upset! When you’re ready, go ahead and try again. Every time you try to quit smoking, you may be one step closer to the day that you give up cigarettes for good!

Resources

CommuniCare+OLE

Hansen Family Health Center-Woodland

Please call their clinic for more information

Behavioral Health

530.405.2815

College Campus Resources

Visit or call the health center on your college campus to make an appointment for assistance and to learn about the free tobacco cessation services available.


For UC Davis Students:

 

Kick It California and other Telephone Support Kick It_Primary

Kick It California (formerly California Smokers' Helpline)
(1-800-300-8086)
Kick It California (formerly California Smokers' Helpline) is a telephone counseling program, offering FREE sessions of individual telephone support with trained counselors. The Kick It California services have been proven in clinical trials to double a smoker’s chances of successfully quitting. The Helpline offers: 

  • one-on-one, telephone counseling to quit smoking and vaping
  • referral to local programs and
  • self-help materials.

Services are offered in six languages (English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese) and specialized services are available for teens, pregnant women, and tobacco chewers. The Helpline also provides information to friends and family members of tobacco users.

  • Text QUIT SMOKING to 66819
  • 800-300-8086 (English)
  • 800-600-8191 (Spanish)

Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7 am to 9 pm, and Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm. Voicemail and recorded messages are available 24 hours a day.

 

YVape is a free educational program with phone coaching support for students who have been vaping at school. For more information, please visit https://yvape.org/en/

 

National Cancer Institute
(1-877-44U-QUIT) 
The National Cancer Institute provides smoking cessation counselors to answer smoking-related questions in English or Spanish, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Calls are toll-free within the United States.

 

Online, Texting, and Free Apps

Smokefree.gov
Smokefree.gov was created by the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society. This comprehensive site provides an online guide as well as downloadable resources to quitting smoking, including:

  • Smokefree TXT - a free mobile service to receive 24/7 encouragement, advice, and tips to help you stop smoking for good
    • Adults – text QUIT to 47848
    • Young adults ready to quit dip – text SPIT to 222888
    • Veterans – text VET to 47848
    • Women – text MOM to 222888
    • Teens – text QUIT to 47848
    • Spanish – envie ESP al 47848
    • 60+ years of age – text QUIT to 47848

       

  • quitSTART App - free apps to help get you through the hard times and keep you motivated to quit smoking and stay smokefree.

Truth Initiative

This is Quitting is an app that specifically targets college students through its appealing social media features that include the ability to access ideas from others on the internet.


Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

It's a myth that kicking the habit is easy. Most smokers make several attempts at quitting before finding success. Why? It's not about willpower. It's about nicotine, a powerfully addictive drug that makes the body both physically and psychologically dependent. Smokers must overcome both of these dependencies to stay smoke-free.


To maximize your success with the quitting process, consider making an appointment with your medical provider to discuss the use of complementary quitting tools to minimize withdrawal symptoms. Research has shown success rates are significantly improved when nicotine replacement products such as nicotine patches, gum, or prescription medications are coupled with a smoking cessation program.


Here is more information about some of the pharmaceutical and nicotine replacement aids available through your doctor:

Nicotine Replacement Therapy information from MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).