Break the Nicotine Habit

IU's Tobacco-Free Wellness Program |
Frequently Asked Questions | Smoking Cessation Resources | Smoking & Pregnancy

If you are one of the many people who have made the decision to improve your health by breaking free from the grasp that tobacco has on your life, we want to make sure you have the information you need to get the job done. Therefore, here are some ideas:

The Rewards

You'll breathe easier, have healthier teeth and gums and, most importantly, you'll have reduced the chances that you'll have a stroke; heart attack; or lung, bladder, cervical, throat, esophagus, kidney, mouth or pancreatic cancer. You'll also feel like a better parent/spouse/friend knowing that you are not exposing those you love to secondhand smoke and, if you become pregnant, you'll sleep better knowing that by quitting you sent more oxygen to your baby, decreased the chances of an early birth and did not allow your baby to be exposed to the toxins that smoking introduces to the baby's body.

IU's Tobacco-Free Wellness Program

Full-time IU academic/staff employees and their family members 18 or older are eligible for the university-paid Tobacco-Free Wellness Program and have access to the Free & Clear® Quit For Life™ Program if they signed up for that program during open enrollment. This benefit was made available to all, even if they were not enrolled in an IU-sponsored medical plan.

Free & Clear's Quit for Life™ program includes:

• Telephone-based program accessible across all IU campuses
• An individualized cessation plan for each participant
• A "Quit Coach" assigned to each participant
• Phone counseling sessions to set and reach a quite date
• Nicotine replacement therapy, as needed
• One year of follow-up phone and web assistance to help participants stay tobacco-free.

To enroll, individuals may call 866-784-8454 (1-866-QUIT-4-LIFE) or visit www.freeclear.com/iu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does use of the patch, gum, inhalers, nasal sprays or bupropion aid smoking cessation?
The Center for Tobacco Cessation research into "what works" indicates that while counseling can be effective, counseling combined with pharmacological treatment (using patches, gum, inhalers, nasal sprays, prescription drugs such as bupropion, Chantix, etc.) doubles or triples the effectiveness of treatment. For pregnant women, use of pharmacological aids may NOT be advisable. In ALL cases, talk to your doctor.

Why do some programs have a cost and some do not? Does it mean the program with a cost is better? Which should I choose?
Some programs are funded by grant or other money, so while there IS a cost, the grant/other source is paying it, and the smoker who is participating in the program doesn't have to. Free programs are not necessarily less effective than those with a cost. However, the smoker who attends a free program may say, "Well, it's free. It won't matter if I miss," and then fail to quit due to lack of commitment. If paying will make you more committed, you may want to sign up for a program where there IS a cost, but if you can use a free program and, in gratitude to the person who IS paying for your treatment, be committed to attending, you may be able to choose a free program. The idea is to choose a program that you can stay committed to, whether there is a cost or not.

Can I use the money I put aside in my Tax Saver Benefit (TSB) account to pay for costs related to smoking cessation aids and counseling that are not covered by insurance?
Yes, you can use your TSB money to pay for counseling (by a licensed counselor, M.D., Ph.D., social worker), nicotine gum which is not covered by insurance or for co-pays on items that are partially covered by insurance (patches, nasal sprays, inhalers, drugs for smoking cessation, etc.). If you have questions, call Nyhart at 1-800-284-8412.

Smoking Cessation Resources

For an excellent list of about 25 locations with available smoking cessation programs in the community, go to the Marion County Health Department Web site If some of the program dates and prices are not current, call the number listed for that program to get current dates/prices. Some of the locations on the list are Martin University; Wishard, St. Francis and Veteran’s hospitals; many local health centers and libraries; the American Lung Association and many more. If you don’t have access to a computer, call 221-2084 for information.

Any Indiana resident can access the Indiana Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT NOW) from 8:00 a.m. to midnight.

For a list of smoking cessation programs in other Indiana counties, click here and click on your county on the map.

Smoking cessation counseling in Spanish: Iglesia "Vida Nueva," 2801 W. Washington St., Indianapolis. They offer four (one per week) sessions on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. For information, call either Indiana Latino Institute, 472-1055 or Iglesia "Vida Nueva" at 638-0796. Also see Web site listings below; some offer information in Spanish.

• Request a Quit Packet at www.WhiteLies.tv (Web site in English and Spanish) or call toll-free-1-866-515-LIFE (5433).
• Telephone "quitlines" have been shown to be effective. The National Cancer Institute has a toll-free quitline in English and Spanish. The toll-free number is 1-877-44U-QUIT (87848), and it is available Monday-Friday, 9-4:30, local time. [The American Lung Association (1-800-586-4872) and the American Cancer Society (1-800-227-2345) also offer help but they do not have direct quitlines.]
• Go to http://www.smokefree.gov for a great Web site sponsored by various government agencies. Reasons to quit, how to prepare to quit, managing cravings, determining your "triggers," information about various smoking cessation aids, a publication geared just for African American smokers and more are offered at this site. It also offers telephone counseling.
• Quitnet offers a way to devise your own quit plan, forums where you can communicate with others and expert advice. Go to www.quitnet.com and click on "Get Started Now" in box on right. They also have an online chat area where Quitnet members can go "when you need help right now."
• There's a great site especially for college students at http://www.tobaccofreeu.org/ .
• The American Lung Association, whose Web site is in both English and Spanish, has an online smoking cessation program called "Freedom from Smoking" that can be accessed by going to http://www.lungusa.org/tobacco and scrolling down a bit. The site also has great information on steps to take when you're planning to quit. If you would like to use printed guides or attend smoking cessation sessions, contact the local office of the American Lung Association at 819-1181.
• If you want to know if a particular smoking cessation method (laser, hypnosis, etc.) is effective, call the American Lung Association at 1-800-586-4872 and press 2 to get a medical professional.
• The Center for Disease Control Web site, in both English and Spanish, has Surgeon General reports, educational information and information on how to quit.
• Arizona has a good Web site with the steps to quitting , but ONLY Arizona residents can use the free quitline that is listed.
• Women who are pregnant and quit smoking are more likely to go full-term and give their babies more oxygen and a chance to have good lung function and normal birth weight. After birth, smoking cessation means that you lower the baby's chances of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and lung-related infections. If you are looking for specific information about pregnancy and smoking, go to http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=33573 .

*IMPORTANT: It is important that you check with your doctor or a healthcare professional who is familiar with potential concerns related to nicotine replacement therapy before using any nicotine replacement products or other smoking cessation products. This is especially important if you are pregnant, may become pregnant, are nursing, are under 18 or are taking other drugs that might cause interaction problems. If you are considering use of a particular drug, we encourage you to do an internet search, using the name of the drug to gain access to sites, that can help you to know what the side effects of the drug and interactions with other drugs may be.