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Quit Tobacco With Counseling & Medication. Veteran Support
Tobacco and Health
How to Quit
The research is clear — you have your best chance at quitting tobacco when you get behavioral counseling and use cessation medication. Counseling helps you make long-term changes to your behavior so that you can remove tobacco from your life, and medication helps with the physical cravings caused by nicotine addiction.
Counseling and Medication
When you are trying to quit tobacco, treatment that includes counseling and medication increases your chance of success. Click below to explore treatment options:
Tobacco cessation counseling involves talking with a health care provider or counselor about your tobacco use and the role it plays in your daily routine so that you can figure out how to quit. VA can provide you with this type of counseling so you can make the behavioral changes needed to break free of tobacco, whether it be cigarettes or smokeless tobacco.
VA provides in-person individual and group tobacco cessation counseling and telephone and video counseling for Veterans. These counseling sessions can be brief (less than 5 minutes) or more intensive (longer than 10 minutes) and may involve multiple sessions.
Triggers are an example of something you may discuss during tobacco cessation counseling. In this instance, triggers are things that make you want to use tobacco. These could include talking on the phone, drinking a cup of coffee, drinking alcohol, feeling bored, or needing a break. Counseling will help you figure out how you can avoid or cope with your triggers so you don’t experience a recurrence of tobacco use.
Contact your VA health care provider to learn about available local tobacco cessation clinics and group counseling sessions. To receive counseling over the phone, call 1‑855‑QUIT‑VET (1‑855‑784‑8838) to receive support from a trained Quit VET counselor.
Tobacco contains nicotine, a highly addictive chemical. When you stop using tobacco, you’ll likely experience withdrawal symptoms from the lack of nicotine, which can include irritability, anxiety, depression, hunger, restlessness, insomnia, and cravings. Using medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration can help you manage these withdrawal symptoms and cope with the urge to smoke or use smokeless tobacco.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) The nicotine patch, gum, lozenge, and nasal spray, collectively referred to as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), contain medicinal nicotine to reduce your withdrawal symptoms. The patch, which offers long-acting relief from withdrawal symptoms, can be combined with the short-acting gum, lozenge, or nasal spray for more effective results.
Bupropion Bupropion (Zyban®) is a pill that reduces your urge to use tobacco. Bupropion contains no nicotine and is started one to two weeks before you stop using tobacco.
Varenicline Varenicline is a pill that blocks the effects of nicotine on the brain, making smoking and smokeless tobacco less enjoyable and reducing your withdrawal symptoms.
Talk to your VA health care provider to decide which medication, or combination of medications, will work best for you. You can also learn about cessation medications that may be right for you by visiting https://veterans.smokefree.gov/tools-tips-vet/quit-for-good-with-nrt.
No matter what you are experiencing, treatments and resources are available. VA offers treatment options that are proven to be very effective for most people, and many types of professionals at VA can help treat the effects of tobacco use.
Evidence-based therapies are among the most effective treatments for tobacco cessation. They can include the following — which are in many cases available at a local VA medical center.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps Veterans trying to quit tobacco develop more balanced and helpful thoughts about themselves, others, and the future. It can help Veterans manage the urge to smoke and achieve personal goals.
Explore more potential treatment options at VA by visiting the Learn About Treatment page.
Quit Resources Tailored To You
For Veterans who are trying to quit tobacco, it can sometimes feel like resources are built for everyone but you. That’s why VA has a variety of resources to meet your specific needs while quitting, whatever they may be. In fact, VA has more tobacco use treatment options available to Veterans in VA care than ever before.
Explore the treatment options listed below:
Tobacco cessation counseling and medications provided at all VA medical centers For information about the VA location closest to you, visit: https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp
Quit VET: VA’s tobacco quitline, in English and Spanish. Call 1‑855‑QUIT‑VET (1‑855‑784‑8838 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, to talk to a coach who can help you build a plan to quit tobacco and provide ongoing support to help you stay quit.
As part of VA’s commitment to helping Veterans quit tobacco, we have developed workbooks to help you quit and handbooks to help VA providers with tobacco cessation treatment. Some of these Veteran workbooks and provider handbooks can be used together as you and your VA provider work on your quit.
Family and friends can be a great source of encouragement when you quit tobacco. Let them know you are trying to quit and ways they can support you as you make this huge change in your life. Share with them the following tips on how to help someone who is trying to quit tobacco:
Ask what you can do to help. Every person who uses tobacco is different!
If you use tobacco yourself, consider quitting at the same time.
Emphasize that even people who live tobacco-free have doubts. Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco can be constant companions for Veterans, and it can be difficult to imagine a life without them. Remind Veterans of the positive changes that will occur in their lives after they quit.
Be ready to help, especially during the first few days after the Veteran stops using tobacco. Veterans may need distractions or extra help with a tough situation. For instance, they may need support when going to a party or hanging out with other people who use tobacco.
Let them know they can take their time. Sometimes it takes a few tries for a person to become tobacco-free for good. Each attempt to quit tobacco is a learning experience, making success more likely.
Be positive. Keep your statements upbeat and focused on the Veteran’s efforts to quit. Adding pressure or guilt only creates stress for Veterans, which they may want to relieve by using tobacco.
Stay positive. Every attempt at living tobacco-free is a step forward, and relapsing does not mean failure. If a recurrence of tobacco use occurs, help the Veteran figure out what caused it. Be encouraging, and let them know that you are proud of them for trying and that you will support them in another attempt to quit.
