Quit Tobacco Today

Make a list of reasons why to quitGet support of family and friendsLearn your triggersLearn to manage cravingsDevelop healthy eating habitsLearn to manage stress withoutusing tobaccoTake it one day at a time

There is a long history of smoking and othertobacco use in the military. Many Veteransused tobacco while they served, particularlyduring deployment. Now seven out of every 10 Veterans whosmoke would like to quit — for both thephysical benefits and their mental health. A majority of them are successful. If you’re one of those Veterans, or if theVeteran in your life is trying to quit, you’vecome to the right place. VA offers resources for making a quit planand sticking to it.It’s been said before andit’s true: You can quit tobacco. And we wantto be there when you do.

Smoking is an addiction andsomething that is a habit. It’scommon to have slip-ups,  but don'tgive up!

Don't give up!

Suggestions to HelpYou Quit Smoking

Quitting tobacco is oneof the best things youcan do to help yourWhole Health.

You CAN quit Tobacco!The research is clear — you have your bestchance at quitting tobacco when you getbehavioral counseling and use cessationmedication. Counseling helps you makelong-term changes to your behavior so thatyou can remove tobacco from your life, andmedication helps with the physical cravingscaused by nicotine addiction.  Quitting tobacco is not easy, and manyVeterans make multiple quit attemptsbefore quitting for good. VA health careproviders are ready to help all Veterans whoare ready to quit smoking or usingsmokeless tobacco products.

Tobacco cessation counseling andmedications provided at all VA medicalcentersFor information about the VA locationclosest to you, gohere: https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/home.aspQuit VET: VA’s tobacco quitline, inEnglish and Spanish. Call 1-855-QUIT-VET(1-855-784-8838) between 9 a.m. and 9p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

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Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

SmokefreeVET: VA’s quit tobacco textmessaging program. Text VET to 47848or visit smokefree.gov/VET to sign up forSmokefreeVET in English. For Spanish,text VETesp to 47848 orvisit https://veterans.smokefree.gov/tools-tips-vet/smokefreevetesp.Stay Quit Coach: VA’s interactive quittobacco app.Visit https://mobile.va.gov/app/stay-quit-coach to download.

Medications toHelp You Quit Tobacco!

There are many types of medications usedto help people quit tobacco. Some of thesemedications provide nicotine to help youslowly reduce the nicotine level in your bodywhen you quit tobacco. Medications thatprovide nicotine are called nicotinereplacement therapy (NRT). NRT reduces your cravings for nicotine andhelps reduce nicotine withdrawalsymptoms. There are also two medicines,bupropion (Zyban®) and varenicline(Chantix®),which do not contain nicotine, butcan help you have fewer cravings fornicotine.

All medications are effective in increasingyour chances of stopping for good. Themedications listed below are availablethrough VA. Contact your primary care provider ormental health provider if you are interestedin using medications to help you quittobacco. 1. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) • Nicotine patch • Nicotine lozenge • Nicotine gum2. Bupropion (Zyban®, Wellbutrin®)3. Varenicline (Chantix®) Some of these medications can be usedtogether to help you stop tobacco. Manystudies have shown that these combinationsare effective and can work better thanusing one medication alone.

Contact your VA health careprovider to learn about availablelocal tobacco cessation clinics andgroup counseling sessions. Toreceive counseling over the phone,call  1-855-QUIT-VET (1-855-784-8838) to receive support from atrained Quit VET counselor.

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