The short answer
Quitlines offer free coaching over the phone to help you quit smoking. The CDC lists 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) along with lines in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese, a text program, and the quitSTART app. These are counseling and support services, not medical care. Numbers and offerings change, so check the current details on the CDC's site.
The CDC lists 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free quit coaching over the phone.
Lines are listed in Spanish (1-855-DÉJELO-YA / 1-855-335-3569), Chinese (1-800-556-5564), Korean (1-800-778-8440), and Vietnamese (1-800-838-8917).
Texting QUITNOW to 333888 signs you up for text support, and quitSTART is a free app with tips and challenges.
Quitlines are run state by state; the North American Quitline Consortium can help you find your state's service.
Choose how you want to understand this
The full explanation.
A phone number that is easier to use than it sounds
There is a national number for quitting smoking. The CDC lists it as 1-800-QUIT-NOW, which is 1-800-784-8669. Dialing it connects you to a quitline, and the CDC describes quitlines as offering free coaching over the phone to help you quit smoking.
That is the whole service in one sentence. A trained person talks with you about quitting. No waiting room. No referral needed.
The information the CDC publishes about smoking comes from its Office on Smoking and Health, which sits inside the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The office produces the agency's tobacco material and points people toward the services listed here.
The other ways in
Not everyone wants to talk on the phone. The CDC lists several other options.
Other languages. There are separate lines listed in Spanish (1-855-DÉJELO-YA, or 1-855-335-3569), Chinese (1-800-556-5564), Korean (1-800-778-8440), and Vietnamese (1-800-838-8917).
Text support. Texting QUITNOW to 333888 signs you up for text-based help. There is a Spanish version, DÉJELO YA, sent to the same number.
An app. quitSTART is free and, in the CDC's words, provides tips, information, and challenges to help you quit.
Smokefree.gov. The CDC points there for resources tailored to particular groups, including women, veterans, teens, Spanish speakers, and people 60 and older.
Quitlines are run state by state, and what each one includes can differ. If you want to know what your own state's service offers, the CDC points to the North American Quitline Consortium as the way to find it. Phone numbers and program details change over time, so check the current details on the CDC's site before you rely on any of them.
What these services can do for you today
They can talk to you today. That is the plain answer, and it is the thing most other services cannot promise.
A coach can help you set a quit date and think through what usually derails you. They can talk about the moments you already know will be hard: the first coffee, the drive home, the hospital parking lot after a hard appointment. They can follow up rather than leaving you to manage alone after one conversation.
They can also be honest company for a difficult project. Quitting is not one decision. It is a long run of small ones, and having someone whose whole job is to take your side on those decisions is worth more than it sounds on paper.
And there is no gatekeeping. You do not need insurance approval, a diagnosis, or a doctor's note to call a quitline.
What these services cannot do
They cannot prescribe anything. A coach can discuss quit-smoking medicines and encourage you to raise them with a clinician, but the prescription pad is not theirs. The CDC does note that FDA-approved quit-smoking medicines are much safer than smoking, which makes that a worthwhile conversation to have with your own team.
They cannot manage your cancer care. A quitline coach does not know your treatment schedule, your drugs, or your surgery plan, and cannot advise on how quitting interacts with any of it. That belongs to your oncology team.
They cannot promise identical service everywhere. Because quitlines are state-run, what is available in one state may differ from another.
And they cannot make the decision for you. Coaching helps a person who is trying. It is support, not a substitute for the trying.
If you are already in cancer treatment
Bring this up with your oncology team rather than handling it privately.
Ask whether quitting changes anything about your plan, your surgery, or your healing. Ask whether quit-smoking medicines are safe alongside the drugs you are taking. Ask whether the cancer center has its own tobacco treatment program, because many do, and an in-house program can coordinate with the rest of your care in a way an outside line cannot.
On being judged
A lot of people do not call because they expect a lecture. It is worth naming that.
Quitlines exist because quitting is hard, not because the people who staff them think it should be easy. Coaches spend their days with people who have tried before. A relapse is not news to them. If you have quit and started again more than once, you are the ordinary case, not the difficult one.
One call costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. You can hang up. You can call back next month. The number stays the same.
Words to know
Tap any term to see what it means.
Common questions
What does calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW actually get me?
The CDC describes quitlines as offering free coaching over the phone to help you quit smoking. A trained coach talks through your situation, helps you plan, and follows up. Exactly what your state's quitline includes varies, so ask when you call.
Is it free?
The CDC describes quitline coaching as free. What your state offers alongside the coaching can differ, so confirm the current details with them.
Are there lines in languages other than English?
Yes. The CDC lists numbers in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese, and Smokefree.gov offers Spanish-language resources as well.
Can a quitline prescribe nicotine patches or quit-smoking pills?
No. A coach can talk about the options and encourage you to raise them, but prescribing is your clinician's job. The CDC says FDA-approved quit-smoking medicines are much safer than smoking, which is a good conversation to have with your care team.
I already have cancer. Is it too late to bother?
This is a question for your oncology team, and it is worth asking out loud. Quitting affects how the body handles treatment, surgery, and healing, and your team can speak to your specific situation.
Are there resources aimed at specific groups?
Yes. The CDC points to Smokefree.gov, which has tailored resources for women, veterans, teens, Spanish speakers, and people 60 and older.
What if I have tried and failed before?
Coaches expect that. Most people make several attempts. A previous attempt that did not stick is experience, not evidence that you cannot do it.
Questions to ask your doctor
Being prepared helps you get the most out of your appointments. Save or print these questions.
Tap a question to save it to your list (kept on this device).
Your next step
Turn this topic into questions for your next appointment.
Speak With Trained Specialists & Human Navigators
Cancer Explained provides educational guidance, but does not replace trained specialists, social workers, or your medical team.
Talk to a trained cancer information specialist
Free, confidential assistance from NCI Cancer Information Service via phone, chat, or email.
Contact your oncology team
Locate after-hours contact numbers, portal messages, or urgent triage phone lines.
Find a patient navigator
Get one-on-one help with appointments, logistics, translation, and care coordination.
Find a genetic counselor
Discuss inherited mutation risk, family history, and genetic testing options.
Find an oncology social worker
Access emotional counseling, family support groups, and mental health resources.
Find a financial navigator
Locate copay assistance foundations, grant programs, and lodging/travel support.
Find a clinical-trial specialist
Search matching studies and speak with NCI trial information specialists.
Get urgent help
Immediate emergency guidance for fever (>100.4°F during chemo), severe pain, or shortness of breath.
Know someone who needs this?
Plenty of people are looking for something like this and do not know where to start. If this would help a friend or someone you love, send it on — we have written an opening line so you do not have to stare at an empty message. You can change every word of it.
Your message is written and sent in your own email or messaging app — we never see who you send it to, and nothing is added to any list.
Plain-language explanation of the published sources cited on this page. AI-assisted, source-checked, not clinician-reviewed.
Sources last checked: 2026-09-03 what this meansLast updated: 2026-09-03Next planned review: 2027-09-03
How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status — Editorial review complete. This page completed Cancer Explained's editorial checks (sources, safety, plain language, duplication). It has not been reviewed by a physician or other healthcare professional.
General education. Low-risk educational or organizational content. Medical facts are cited to authoritative sources.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Editorial review complete — This page completed Cancer Explained's editorial checks (sources, safety, plain language, duplication). It has not been reviewed by a physician or other healthcare professional.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
Read more about our editorial process, our use of AI, and our corrections policy.
Spotted a problem? Report an error — a factual mistake, broken or outdated source, confusing wording, or anything that seems unsafe. Please do not include names, medical record numbers, dates of birth, addresses, or other identifying medical information in your report.
After using this page, do you understand what to do next?
Anonymous — we only record the answer, never who gave it.
Related articles
Still have questions?
Educational answers, plain language
Free to print and share