Support Sites

Online and published resources to help smokers quit smoking

For more details on the added risk smoking poses to cancer patients, see the National Cancer Institute’s report “Smoking Cessation and Continued Risk in Cancer Patients” at www.cancer.gov, (type “smoking cessation” in the search box at the top of the page).

The American Cancer Society offers a Guide to Quitting Smoking, available at www.cancer.org (type “guide to quitting smoking” in the search box). The guide explains why quitting is challenging and has a benefits of quitting timeline.

The ACS also has a quitline. Call 1-800-ACS-2345 to speak with a volunteer.

Nicotine Anonymous is a support group modeled after the 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous plan. The website, www.nicotine-anonymous.org, offers downloadable resources and a meeting finder.

The federal government’s quit-smoking advocacy site is www.smokefree.gov. There you can find a list of government resources on smoking. Smokers can also speak to a counselor via Internet chat or on the phone at 1-800-QUITNOW.

The American Lung Association, www.lungusa.org, has a Freedom From Smoking online cessation support program, with statistics and data divided by type of tobacco product. Click “Quit Smoking” on the top toolbar and drag down to “All About Smoking.”

For links to research and support by subtopic along with the latest news on smoking, go to www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/smokingcessation.html.

The surgeon general offers a “You Can Quit Smoking” consumer guide at www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/smconsumr.pdf. The guide was last updated in 2000, and doesn’t include the most recent treatment options, but does have a fill-in-the-blank question form to complete before the smoker tries to quit.

The American Legacy Foundation, a group that aims to stop smoking in women, has a five-day pre-quit plan, at women.americanlegacy.org/includes/pdfs/quitplan.pdf. The focus is on women, but the plan for the days immediately preceding the quit date can be applied to men as well.

QuitNet is an online support group for smokers trying to quit. The website, www.quitnet.com, tracks the lifespan and money a smoker is saving by quitting. Some aspects of the site may require a membership fee.