Smoking and Tobacco Cessation Programs

To give you the best chance of success, we need to get to know you and find out why you use tobacco -- whether it's to manage stress, because of physical dependence, or a host of other reasons. We'll also ask about what's prompted you to make a change; perhaps it’s your health, finances, or family. That’s why your first appointment includes meeting with a doctor. He or she will perform a physical exam, review your medical history, and talk with you about any previous attempts to quit. 

Carbon Monoxide Breath Test
You’ll be asked to breathe into a tube attached to a handheld device. This will analyze how much carbon monoxide is in your breath, which gives our treatment specialists helpful information about your tobacco use.

Lung Function Test
Because chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is most often caused by smoking, we want to measure how well your lungs are working. You'll be asked to blow into a tube that's attached to a spirometer. This machine can detect COPD before you develop symptoms.

Lung Cancer Screening
Your doctor may recommend that you have a type of lung cancer screening, like low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), which uses small levels of radiation to produce an image of your lungs.

Before you leave your first appointment, you and your doctor will set a treatment plan that will likely include a combination of medication and counseling. You may also choose a Quit Day -- a date when you want to be tobacco-free. You’ll have follow-up appointments before and after your Quit Day. 

Continued Follow-Up
It often takes more than one attempt to stop using tobacco. Relapse is not failure; it's a learning opportunity. We’ll stick with you for as long as it takes. We can also offer video visits and referrals to support services that are close to your home.

Cost
Your visits may be covered by your insurance. Consult your insurance provider about the potential cost of your care.

Intensive Team Approach
Duke takes a comprehensive approach to tobacco cessation by combining medication and counseling services. This concept, which is supported by published guidelines, is the gold standard of tobacco cessation care and has been proven to be more effective than quitting on your own.

Clinical Research
As a leader in tobacco cessation research, we give you access to the most advanced treatment methods through our ongoing clinical trials. To learn more, please visit the Duke Clinical Trials Directory. 

Education and Training
Duke and the University of North Carolina have partnered to create the Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program accredited by the Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs (CTTTP) to educate and develop the next generation of tobacco treatment specialists. 

Mobile and Tele-Health Referrals
We partner with state and national services to offer alternative resources, like free phone and text quit hotlines, for those unable to receive care at Duke. For people who live in Virginia, we can refer you to our affiliate program Quit at Augusta Health. We also partner with WakeMed to offer Quit with WakeMed. And for people looking for other options, we will also research other local resources or programs to assist however we can.