2023: Your Year to Stop Tobacco Use

Hannah Brewer

Jan 27, 2023

Want to quit smoking? You are not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 70% of people who currently smoke want to stop. You may be considering 2023 as the year you stop smoking. January is “Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop Smoking” month (TANYRSS) which makes it a great time to stop.

One way for Kentuckians to receive support is through the Kentucky Quitline. The Quitline is operated by National Jewish Health and is staffed by trained coaches, all of whom have completed rigorous Tobacco Treatment Specialist training. The coaches offer a self-paced and customized plan for each person. All services are free! Over 1.5 million people have stopped tobacco use with the help of the Quitline. Some ways you can get started in the Kentucky Quitline program include:

Take this short quiz to learn more about your commitment to stopping tobacco use. Based on your score, the Quitline staff will provide feedback on steps to start, restart, or continue your journey to stop tobacco use.
Use the Smoking Calculator to discover how much money you are actually spending on tobacco products.
Read success stories of other people who succcessfully quit and find out how their tobacco-free lives look now. If they can do it, you can too!
Understand the benefits of stopping tobacco use and how tobacco use impacts your health.
To connect with your personal coach or enroll in the KY Quitline program call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) .
Another excellent resource is the Behavioral Health Wellness Environments for Living and Learning (BH WELL) program which provides education and free resources on stopping tobacco use, including a comic book focused on nicotine addiction.

Cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems, snus, and other nicotine products are addictive and contain a number of harmful chemicals. Although most people understand that stopping tobacco use is important for their health and the health of their loved ones, less than 1 in 10 individuals who try to stop smoking are able to quit for good if they don’t have the support of coaching or nicotine replacement therapies.

At BH WELL, we want everyone to have the chance to live their best life and be well! We exist to promote behavioral health and wellness among individuals facing behavioral health challenges. Tobacco treatment services are a primary focus of BH WELL research and programs. Learn more about BH WELL at https://bhwell.uky.edu. Follow us on social media.