MONTGOMERY-The Alabama Tobacco Quitline is celebrating 10 years of helping state residents quit tobacco use by offering up to eight weeks of nicotine replacement therapy patches (NRT) to eligible callers, while supplies last.
The Quitline is a toll-free telephone coaching program that helps tobacco users quit with informational materials, a quit plan, coaching and NRT, all at no cost. Previously, the Quitline offered two weeks of NRT to eligible callers.
“The additional weeks of NRT should help more people quit,” said Karen Atkinson, Quitline manager. “Research shows that the combination of coaching and NRT can double the chances of a tobacco user quitting and staying quit.”
Since it began April 1, 2005, more than 145,000 calls have been made to Alabama’s Quitline. Callers dial 1-800 Quit Now (1-800-784-8669) to enroll in the program. Coaching is required to receive the NRT which is mailed to the user’s home every two weeks while participating in the program. Callers with certain medical conditions may be referred to their health care provider for NRT approval.
According to 2013 data from the North American Quitline Consortium, the Alabama Tobacco Quitline had the third highest quit rate among reporting quitlines.
The Quitline is open seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to midnight. For those preferring 
electronic services, a website, QuitNowAlabama.com, is available. Mobile apps and text messaging are also available.
Some 21.5 percent of Alabama adults are smokers, according to the 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The rate is one of the highest in the nation.
For more information, contact Atkinson, (334) 206-3825, or Julie Hare, public information director, (334) 206-3830.
MEDIA RELEASE/ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
