Quitting tobacco is hard. Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical, and it’s not the only one present in the tobacco products that are on the market. Addiction to any substance causes your brain to change and our bodies to become dependent on them. We tend to think about addiction in relationship to hard drugs like meth or opioids, but nicotine can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine. But it can be done.
The key to successfully quitting tobacco is to not do it alone. No matter how hard asking for help is, using a support bumps success rates from 8% to 80%. A 2018 study found that cumulatively, three out of every five smokers were able to successfully quit. The options, science, and understanding of how to effectively help people quit smoking has exponentially expanded since then. That means you have the best shot at being able to quit today than you ever have before!
There are a variety of options to help you quit smoking. You don’t have to choose just one—and combining support can increase your success rate. Most of these options are free. To help you know which ones are not free, the resource has a $ beside it. If you have insurance—whether private or Medicare or Medicaid—your insurance may cover the cost.
There are tons of resources to help you quit. But why not get something that is made specifically for you? The following resources are made for teens and often are peer-reviewed and supported, meaning they were made by teens, so it’s not another adult telling you what to do.
There are lots of resources available to help you quit smoking. But sometimes you want the other end of the line to know what it’s like to quit as a mom. Here are some specific resources for pregnant moms.