If you use tobacco (including cigarettes, smokeless, cigars, pipes, vapes), quitting is one of the best things you can do for your health. May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, which raises awareness about the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that smoking/tobacco use harms nearly every organ of the body. It is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the U.S., causing cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Whenever you choose to take the first step to quit tobacco, you don’t have to go it alone. The university offers a number of programs and resources to help you.
Attend the May 21 ‘Thinking About Quitting Tobacco’ virtual workshop
If you're thinking about quitting tobacco or vaping but aren’t sure how to start, there’s still time to join this 30-minute virtual workshop from the Tobacco Consultation Service (TCS). You'll meet a tobacco treatment specialist and learn about tools and resources available when you are ready to take the first step.
No registration needed. Simply use this link to join the Zoom meeting on Wednesday, May 21 at 12 p.m. (add a reminder to your Google or Outlook calendar).
Talk with a tobacco treatment specialist
TCS offers free, one-on-one counseling to U-M faculty, staff and their dependents; retirees; Michigan Medicine patients and the general public. Sessions focus on the body, mind and social reasons for using tobacco and learning the skills needed to help you quit, and stay quit. Participate virtually, by phone or in-person.
For more information, call TCS at (734) 998-6222, email [email protected] or visit the website.
Join ‘Freedom From Smoking’ – starts in June 18
TCS has partnered with the American Lung Association to offer Freedom From Smoking®. This free, virtual seven-week program helps you develop a plan of action that leads to your quit day. You’ll also get the support you need to remain tobacco-free for life.
Registration is now open for the new session starting Wednesday, June 18 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. Weekly meetings continue through July 30.
Get smoking cessation medications with zero copay
Eligible U-M drug plan members who want to quit tobacco can get prescription and over-the-counter smoking cessation medications like nicotine gum, patches and lozenges with no copay.
Access a quit kit full of tools and tips
This “virtual” quit kit is designed to help you “Quit for A Day.” It includes helpful tools and tips to remind yourself why you want to quit and gives suggestions on how to stay quit.
More tobacco-related resources are available on the Tobacco Consultation Service website.
