Telephone counseling seems to improve quit rates.(41,42) Many state health departments, NRT manufacturers, and nonprofit organizations offer free telephone counseling or "quitlines." Most states currently have some form of quitline, and other states are planning to follow suit. In an effective telephone program, the counselor will usually contact the smoker several times after the initial call to monitor progress and provide continued support and encouragement. Some users of telephone counseling may particularly like it because of the convenience and confidentiality of the free counseling, and it therefore may be more effective than other forms of counseling for some people.
resources
Talk to an expert: Find help in your state URL: smokefree.gov/usmap.html description: Find quitlines in each of the United States, or find out about national quitline programs.
Canadian Cancer Society's Smokers' Helpline URL: www.cancer.ca description: Lists quitlines available throughout Canada.
United Kingdom NHS Stop Smoking Service URL: www.givingupsmoking.co.uk/nhs&sss/find/ phone: National number: 0800 169 0 169 description: Find out about the UK's National Health Service smoking helpline, or find programs by area in the UK.
