Tobacco Cessation

You may not remember your reasons for starting to smoke, but here are three good reasons to quit:

  • You’ll be more likely to resist colds and flu
  • You’ll look and feel healthy
  • You’ll save money

Check out what the research says:

  • Just the Facts

    Did You Know?

    The Good

    • 1 year after quitting, the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone who still smokes. Your heart attack risk drops dramatically.
    • Significant bone loss has been found in older women and men who smoke. Quitting smoking appears to reduce the risk for low bone mass and fractures. 
    • Smokers who quit around age 30 "reduce their chance of dying prematurely from smoking-related diseases by more than 90 percent." 
    • By quitting, a pack-a-day smoker in Indiana will save over $2,000 per year on average. Calculate how much money quitting smoking will save you here. 

    The Bad

    • Smoking negatively affects your sex life and reproductive system,  increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, and decreases immune system function.
    • Wherever smoke touches living cells, it does harm.
    • In 2015, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults in Indiana was 20.6%. Nationally, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults was 17.5%.

    The Ugly

    • Secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including more frequent and severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Smoking during pregnancy results in more than 1,000 infant deaths annually.
    • Nearly 30 percent of cancer deaths in the country can be attributed to tobacco use.
    • Smoking cigarettes kills more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, HIV, guns, and illegal drugs combined.

    Research

Kick the Habit

As many tobacco users know, kicking the habit is not easy. But success rates increase with every attempt to quit. At Indiana University and beyond, there are resources and support systems ready to help you quit tobacco!

IU Employee Benefits

  • Quit for Life Program

    Quit for Life® Program

    Eligibility: Full-time Academic and Staff employees and spouses who are enrolled in an IU-sponsored medical plan

    The Quit For Life Program offers an integrated mix of support tools to help stop using tobacco products. The program is telephone-based and accessible across all IU campuses. Participants have access to:

      • New! Quit For Life mobile app with personalized tools
      • Five coaching calls with a “Quit Coach” to work with and set and reach a quit date
      • Nicotine replacement therapy (as needed)
      • One year of follow-up phone and Web assistance

    To enroll in Quit For Life, call 1-866-784-8454 or visit the Quit For Life Program Web site.


  • Tobacco Cessation Prescription Benefits

    Tobacco Cessation Prescription Benefits

    Eligibility: Anyone enrolled in an IU-sponsored medical plan

    IU employee medical plans cover 100 percent of the cost of tobacco cessation prescription and over-the-counter tobacco replacement products. Coverage is limited to a 180-day supply per covered individual per year. Covered prescription drugs include Chantix, Zyban (bupropion), and Nicotrol. Over-the-counter products require a prescription in order to be covered under the employee’s medical plan.

  • Tobacco Affidavit

    Tobacco Affidavit

    Eligibility: Full-time Academic and Staff employees and spouses who are enrolled in an IU-sponsored medical plan

    During Open Enrollment, you can complete an affidavit indicating you and/or your spouse do not use tobacco and will not in the future. Completing the affidavit will reduce your premium contribution by $25 per month for you or your spouse, or $50 for both. Contact HR for more information.

Area-Specific

Statewide Resources

  • Cessation Programs

    Standing order for tobacco cessation products: State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, issued a standing order effective Aug. 1 2019 allowing Hoosiers to purchase tobacco cessation products at Indiana pharmacies without having to obtain an individual prescription. Indiana becomes only the 12th state with a policy or standing order allowing pharmacists to prescribe tobacco cessation products, eliminating financial and time barriers for individuals considering quitting smoking.

    Indiana Tobacco Prevention & Cessation — Indiana State Department of Health: Works to prevent and reduce the use of all tobacco products in Indiana and to protect citizens from exposure to tobacco smoke.

    Quit Now Indiana: Offers tools that are convenient, effective and confidential to help Hoosiers quit for life.

    The Indiana Tobacco Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) is a free phone-based counseling service that helps Indiana tobacco users quit. 

  • Additional Resources

    Smoke Free Indiana: Committed to protecting all workers from exposure to secondhand smoke by working toward the adoption of a comprehensive smokefree workplace law that covers all workplaces.

    Breathe Easy Indiana — Indiana’s Smoke-Free Air Law: Designed to help Hoosiers understand the new law and to keep you informed of the changes and progress on this issue.

    Indiana Latino Institute: Focuses on decreasing youth and adult tobacco use and the number of Hoosiers expose to secondhand smoke.

    Indiana Minority Health Coalition: Designed to provide programs and services that improve health outcomes for Indiana residents.

    Indiana Rural Health Association: Provides the latest information and resources on how to effectively quit smoking.

    VOICE: Engages, educates, and empowers teens to celebrate a tobacco free lifestyle.

Nationwide Resources

  • Cessation Programs

    American Lung Association Helpline and Quitline: Leads the way in lung health education, lung disease research, support, programs, services and advocacy.

    American Cancer Society: Funds and conducts research, shares expert information, supports patients, and spreads the word about prevention.

    Smokefree.gov: Resources for veterans, women, teens, spanish-speakers, 60+ populations, and more.

    Truth Initiative: Provides youth smoking prevention & education, community and youth engagement, quitting tools and programs.

  • Mobile Apps and Online Communities

    Stop Tobacco Mobile Trainer: A free app to help strengthen your motivation to quit smoking, manage anxiety, invent tricks to beat the hook of tobacco and learn to control your environment so that you're better adapted to the changes in this new stage of your life.

    Smoke Free — Quit Smoking Now: A free app that helps track progress of cessation by showing how long a person has been smoke-free, how much money they have saved from not smoking, how their health is improving and more.

    This Is Quitting: A first-of-its-kind program to help young people quit vaping.

    Quit Smoking Now — Stop Forever: A free app that tracks progress with milestones and helps to identify cravings and how to properly handle them.

    QuitNet by MeYou Health: Online community of smokers and ex-smokers to gain help, support, and share stories. 

    BecomeAnEx: Quit-smoking plan and online community of thousands of smokers and ex-smokers developed by Truth Initiative in collaboration with Mayo Clinic.

  • Additional Resources

    American Heart Association: Works to fight heart disease and stroke, striving to save and improve lives.

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Provides up to date information and resources on tobacco cessation.

    World Health Organization Tobacco Free Initiative: Provides information, articles, and resources related to tobacco cessation.

    Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention: Provides informational blogs and articles surrounding tobacco use and cessation.

    National LGBT Tobacco Control Center: Works to reduce tobacco, cancer, and other health disparities within LGBT communities.

    National Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Promotes the adoption of proven solutions that are most effective at reducing tobacco use and save the most lives.

    Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights: Creates comprehensive programs to prevent the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and smoking among youth and adults.

    U.S. Preventative Taskforce: Works to increase screenings and referrals for preventative services.

    National African American Tobacco Prevention Network: Works to provide culturally competent public health programs to benefit communities and people of African descent.

  • Events

    Kick Butts Day: National day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco. Kick Butts Day took place on March 20, 2019, with more than 1,000 events in schools and communities across the United States and even around the world.

    World No Tobacco Day: Raises awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, and discourages the use of tobacco in any form.

If your friend or family member uses tobacco, and you want to help them in their journey to quit, check out these general hints from the American Cancer Society.

Did you know IU is a tobacco-free university? Find more information at Tobacco-Free IU