Trying to Quit? Support Can Make ALL the Difference!

Quitting nicotine is hard work.

It just is. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on the planet. Most people who try to quit relapse over and over again before they finally quit for good, regardless of their desire to be done with it. Quitting nicotine isn’t about willpower, or being strong, or even how much someone wants to quit.   

Quitting nicotine is really about persistence and having the right kind of help. 

And help is available! We’ve compiled a list of all of the help that’s available to you right now, and much of it is free. Below is a list of all of the resources available to MSU employees and local residents, all designed specifically toward helping you to become tobacco and nicotine free! 

•  If you’re just thinking about quitting, but you aren’t sure if you’re quite ready yet, there are resources that can help you answer the questions you need answered to move you closer to being ready. 
  
•  If you are ready, but you don’t know how to begin, there are resources that can assist you in putting together your “quit plan” to get you on the path you need to be on. 
  
•  If you’ve already quit, but you need some help maintaining your freedom from nicotine, there are resources that can support you as you learn how to navigate this time. 
  
•  If you have any questions about any of this, please feel free to contact us at Health4U. We have nearly a decade of experience working directly with people in various stages of their quit process. We’ll be happy to help you sort out what kind of help you need and point you in the right direction. 
  

Services for MSU Faculty, Staff, Graduate Student Employees, and Retirees 

• Breathe Easy:A free tobacco and nicotine cessation program featuring behavioral support and medical evaluation. You will be offered a choice of medications to support you with your quit process, or you may choose to quit without using medication. MSU faculty, staff, graduate student employees, retirees, and their adult benefits-eligible family members are eligible to participate in this program. Contact Health4U at 517-353-2596 or health4u@msu.edu for more information.
  
• MSU Employee Assistance Program:The MSU EAP is a free, confidential counseling service available to MSU employees and their family members. The EAP provides emotional assistance to employees and their families as they work through any number of concerns, including tobacco cessation. The services are provided free of charge, and are confidential. For more information, contact the EAP at 517-355-4506 or eap@msu.edu.
  
• Health4U Coaching Services:Meet one on one with a tobacco cessation specialist to support you through your quit process, assist you in coming up with an individualized plan that will work for you, and learn what might be getting in your way of being tobacco free. Contact Health4U at 517-353-2596 or health4u@msu.edu for more information.
  
• MSU Health Insurance and Medication Coverage Plans: Tobacco cessation services are covered for MSU employees by any recognized provider. In addition, cessation medications Chantix and Zyban are both covered at a significantly reduced cost. Nicotine replacement therapies are covered without cost to the employee for a four month supply. Contact your insurance plan for more information:
  Community Blue:517-322-4447 orwww.bcbsm.com
  Blue Care Network: 800-482-5982
  CVS Caremark (MSU’s prescription drug plan): Contact MSU Human Resources at 517-353-4434 or toll-free at 1-800-353-4434, extension 0

• CVS Caremark:Caremark offers a range of resources to help MSU employees quit smoking. Visit their website to learn more: CVS.com/quit-smoking. Or, you can call their Quit Hotline at 1-844-265-4321 to get live help toll free. Finally, they also offer tobacco cessation assessments and coaching through their MinuteClinic, the walk-in medical clinic inside select CVS pharmacies.
  
• Quit the Nic:Blue Care Network’s free tobacco cessation program is available to all MSU employees who have chosen BCN as their health insurance plan. Includes a battery of tools to help you quit, including educational materials and ongoing telephone support. Call 1-800-811-1764 to enroll.
  
• Michigan Tobacco Quitline: A free service that provides any interested MSU employees or spouses/partners of MSU employees with a professional Quit Coach, a personalized quitting strategy, and other resources to help you quit smoking. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) to enroll or to learn more. 
  
• Nicotine Anonymous Meeting on Campus: Pulp Niction; meets every Tuesday at 8:00pm in the Engineering Building, Room 2320, 428 S. Shaw Lane, East Lansing. 
  

Services for MSU Students

• Student Health Services: Offers a wide variety of health care services to MSU students year round, including primary care to discuss personal cessation goals and methods for quitting. Cost depends on health plan coverage.  
  Health Promotion Services:Students can also make appointment in health education with our ATOD educator to talk about smoking and tobacco cessation interventions and options available. To contact, call 517-353-4660.
  Medical Provider Consultation and Inquiry: All doctors and nurses who work with students in any capacity ask students about tobacco use, and make recommendations for quitting as necessary. Call for an appointment at 517-353-4660.
• MSU Counseling & Psychiatric Services:Individual or group counseling for all MSU students, addressing stress management, time management, personal relationships, anxiety, depression, personal loss, grief, eating disorder, substance use disorder, addiction, career decisions. All services are confidential. FREE to all students and partners/spouses of students. Call 517-355-8270 for more information.
  
• Michigan Tobacco Quitline: A free service that provides any interested MSU students with a professional Quit Coach, a personalized quitting strategy, and other resources to help you quit smoking. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) to enroll or to learn more. 
  
• Nicotine Anonymous Meeting on Campus: Pulp Niction; meets every Tuesday at 8:00pm in the Engineering Building, Room 2320, 428 S. Shaw Lane, East Lansing. 
  

Other Local Resources 

• Nicotine Anonymous: 12-step recovery model, adapted from the 12-steps and traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. Weekly meetings are held each Wednesday at 6:00 pm at the St. Lawrence Campus of Sparrow Hospital, located at 1210 W. Saginaw, Lansing, Michigan. 
  
• McLaren of Greater Lansing:Offers several programs at their Greenlawn Campus – 407 West Greenlawn, Merriman Building, Room 14. For more information call 517-975-6400.
• Compass Rehabilitation Services: Acupuncture has been used successfully to stop smoking. Acupuncture treatments address cravings, weight gain, irritability and restlessness; all symptoms that people commonly complain about when they quit. It also aids in relaxation and detoxification. The Spine Center is located at 250 East Saginaw East Lansing, MI 48823. You can find out more information at compass.rehab, or call (517)337-3080 or (888)712-6999.

Other Telephone Support and Internet Resources:

• American Lung Association of Michigan:The American Lung Association has a national phone support system designed to help callers quit their tobacco addiction. Free service nationwide. Help is offered in 100+ languages and trained cessation counselors will support you with materials and scheduled phone calls that encourage and help you. Call (517) 484-4541 or (800) 586-4872.
  
• American Cancer Society: ACS provides information, resources and quit tobacco help. www.cancer.org
  
• American Lung Association of Michigan: Includes Freedom from Smoking online. www.lungusa.org. 
  
• American Heart Association: www.americanheart.org
  
• Asian Quitline: http://www.asiansmokersquitline.org/The Asian Smokers’ Quitline (ASQ) is a free nationwide Asian-language quit smoking service operated by the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego. ASQ offers self-help materials, one-on-one telephone counseling to quit smoking, and a free two-week starter kit of nicotine patches. ASQ services have been proven in clinical trials to double a smoker’s chances of successfully quitting. Available in four languages: Cantonese and Mandarin – 1-800-838-8917; Korean – 1-800-556-5564; and Vietnamese – 1-800-778-8440.
  
• Become an Ex: http://www.becomeanex.org Free Booklet, Talk to a Personal Coach, follow an on-line plan. 
  
• Central Michigan 211 - Call 211: http://www.centralmichigan211.org/clintoneatoningham.html Agencies offering quit-tobacco support should list their services with Central Michigan 211. 
  
• Michigan Department of Community Health: www.michigan.gov/mdhhs MDCH provides information on quit tobacco and other substance use disorder and prevention. 
  
• Pfizer Inc.: https://www.gethealthystayhealthy.com/living-tobacco-free  Offers quit tips and an online video. 
  
• Smokefree.gov: www.smokefree.gov Can help you or someone you care about quit smoking. The information and professional assistance available on this web site can help to walk you through the process of becoming tobacco-free, connect with resources in your community, and be a support person to others. 
  
• Tobacco Free Nurses: http://tobaccofreenurses.org Helping nurses and their patients to stop smoking.