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Tobacco Prevention and Control Program: Help to Quit

Overcoming Tobacco Addiction

A medical technician talks to an adult sitting on an examination table at the clinic
Quitting tobacco use is one of the best things you can do for your health. There are many benefits to quitting, but here are a few:

  • Lowered risk of lung cancer and many other types of cancer
  • Reduced risk for heart issues like heart disease and stroke
  • Reduced respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath

Read highlights from the U.S. Surgeon General's 2020 Report on Smoking Cessation

On this page, you’ll find resources to help you or a loved one quit. You’ll also learn more about Wisconsin programs to help tobacco users across the state. Remember, it’s never too late to quit.

For free assistance and a customized quit plan, call the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT NOW or text "READY" to 200-400 (messaging and data rates may apply).  The Quit Line provides free one-on-one phone counseling and information, local cessation program referrals, and starter packs of quit smoking medications like nicotine gum, patches, and lozenges. Learn more about how the Quit Line can help you become tobacco free.

Wisconsin’s First Breath program provides free coaching to help expectant mothers deal with stress and quit tobacco use. Learn more about how First Breath can help you quit.

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Wisconsin residents diagnosed with depression smoke, above the state average of 18%. The Wisconsin Nicotine Treatment Integration Project (WiNTiP) works with mental health and substance abuse treatment providers to integrate tobacco dependence into their efforts. Learn more about how WiNTiP is breaking down barriers and helping those who need it the most, or find out how quitting smoking can help with depression.

The University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention uses an Education and Outreach program to help clinicians and health care systems integrate evidence-based quit tobacco treatment into their standard of care for every patient visit. Learn more about how the Education and Outreach program is helping clinics help their patients.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health and Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention's Million Hearts® Tobacco Cessation Change Package provides quality improvement resources to help health systems and clinical teams address tobacco use as a leading risk factor for heart disease.

Most young smokers want to quit using tobacco, but are unable to succeed on their own. Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) is a state-of-the-science, school-based program that provides assistance to teens who wish to quit using tobacco. The program covers the entire quitting process, including the prevention of relapses. For more information, contact Kim Larson at the American Lung Association of Wisconsin.

If a teen in your life has already started using e-cigarettes, encourage them to text VAPEFREE to 873373 for free help to quit. You can also start the Live Vape Free online course to receive tools to help you support them through their quit journey. Check out this fact sheet to learn more about the Live Vape Free programs. 

View a list of available youth cessation programs, P-03117. (PDF)  

The American Indian Quitline offers free, culturally tailored support to help you quit commercial tobacco. Callers receive seven free phone calls with a trained coach who is experienced in working with American Indians and has respect for their culture. For help, call 1-888-7AI-QUIT (724-7848).

Callers can also get 12 weeks of free medication, including nicotine:

  • Patches, gum, or lozenges, or
  •  Patches plus lozenges, or
  • Patches plus gum

More information is available on the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line website. 


Last revised February 18, 2022