RALEIGH -- QuitlineNC, North Carolina’s telephone service that helps people quit smoking and other tobacco use, is offering eight weeks of nicotine patches combined with either nicotine gum or lozenges for free until the end of the month or while supplies lasts.

Nicotine patches help people wean off the nicotine they get from tobacco products, and gum or lozenges are added to help them when they are experiencing cravings. 

“Quitting smoking and other tobacco use is one of the best things someone can do for their health and the health of their families and loved ones. But it is also one of the hardest,” said State Health Director and DHHS Chief Medical Officer Betsey Tilson, M.D., MPH. “We are pleased to provide this support to help people take the next step down the path to quitting. I encourage North Carolinians to take advantage of this offer and take the next step to health."

Interested adults can call 1-800-QuitNow (1-800-784-8669) before midnight on Thursday, May 31, to sign up. Anyone who takes advantage of the offer will receive four quit-coaching sessions and free printed materials to help them get started. For those age 18 and older, QuitlineNC will mail the free medication directly to the person’s home.

Using proven techniques developed and tested over the past 25 years, Quitline programs have helped hundreds of thousands of people across the country to successfully quit tobacco. Success rates for Quitline users are high compared to people who try and quit using tobacco products on their own. Twenty-seven percent of people successfully quit by using the coaching alone, and this has risen as high as 47 percent for those who use all the coaching calls and the full doses of nicotine patches and gum or lozenge in combination.