The white pages of the telephone book may have the phone number for the local ACS unit. Many local ALA offices also have self-help manuals and videos. The ALA addresses issues of concern to new nonsmokers, such as weight gain, coping strategies, and addiction and withdrawal. The white pages of the telephone book may have the phone number for a local ALA chapter. The white pages of the telephone book may have the phone number for a local AHA chapter.
Smokers report that a doctor's guidance is an effective aid to quitting smoking.
A 1979 Surgeon General's report concluded that 10 to 25 percent of smokers who were asked to quit by their doctor either quit or lowered the number of cigarettes they smoked. Several studies conclude that the nicotine patch, a form of nicotine replacement therapy, can be an effective aid in helping smokers quit smoking. One study of 240 people who smoked at least 20 cigarettes per day found that 27.5 percent of those who used the nicotine patch and who were given doctor advice and nurse counseling were smoke free at 1 year. Thus, use of the nicotine patch combined with a doctor's intervention and followup counseling was nearly twice as effective in helping smokers stop smoking than no nicotine patch. Other studies also suggest that smokers who choose the patch will be more successful when the patch is used with doctor, pharmacist, or other health provider counseling.