Smoking cessation

A smoking-cessation program is a personalized treatment plan that can help people quit smoking. Our Start to Stop® smoking-cessation program provides individualized support from beginning to end:

• One-on-one consultation with a MinuteClinic® provider
• A nicotine-dependence assessment
• Educational information based on specific needs and goals
• Ongoing coaching and support
• When appropriate, nicotine-replacement recommendations or prescriptions

Your MinuteClinic provider can work 1-on-1 with you to build a realistic plan to quit smoking as part of the START TO STOP^® quit smoking program. This plan provides ongoing coaching and support. Your provider will help you track your habits and milestones as you go smoke free. If needed, your provider will decide which medicine and nicotine-replacement solutions are best for you.

1. You may have to answer a few questions to help us prepare for your visit prior to scheduling your appointment.

2. Check-in varies depending on how you scheduled your appointment:

   If you made your appointment online:
   Check in using the email or text message we sent to confirm your appointment. If you prefer to check in using the electronic kiosk, make sure you have your confirmation code.

   If you made your appointment in the clinic:
   Sign in at the electronic kiosk.

   If you made a MinuteClinic Virtual Care® appointment:
   To join your virtual visit, use the link in the email or text message we sent you to confirm your appointment. Please join 15 minutes before your scheduled visit time. You will need your date of birth and ZIP code to join the visit.

3. When it's time for your appointment, a provider will call your name.
4. Your provider will conduct a thorough examination based on your reason for visit, presenting symptoms and health history. Charges will be based on examination and services provided during the visit.
5. At the end of your visit, you are provided with a visit summary, receipt and educational material. At your request, we can send your primary care provider information about your visit.

Smoking shortens a person’s life by 10 to 14 years. If they stop before age 40, smokers reduce their risk of dying from smoking-related diseases by 90%.* After 40, quitting for more than 10 years can give a person 10 more years of life compared to people who don’t quit.*

Quitting smoking can be hard, but people are succeeding more than ever before. There are more former smokers than current smokers living in the U.S. today.* And there are more ways to make quitting easier, like one-on-one smoking-cessation programs. 

Smoking increases the chances of developing over 50 different diseases. Tobacco users are at higher risk of many medical conditions:

• Asthma
• Bleeding in the brain
• Breathing problems
• Cancer (smoking causes 90% of all lung cancer)
• Diabetes
• Heart attack
• High blood pressure
• Impotence
• Infections
• Nerve damage
• Stroke
• Tooth loss

Nicotine is very addictive. Eight out of ten people who try to stop smoking will start again after just one week.

Just because someone has not been successful in the past does not mean they won’t be successful now. It can take up to 30 attempts to quit.* With help, millions of people have quit smoking.

When a person quits smoking, their health will improve. Here’s how the body recovers after quitting smoking:*

First week: Blood pressure goes down, and carbon monoxide in the blood drops to normal.

1 to 12 months: Episodes of coughing and being short of breath go down.

1 to 2 years: The risk of heart attack goes down.

5 to 10 years: The risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and voice box (larynx) is cut in half, and the risk of stroke goes down.

10 years: The risk of lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking. The risk of cancers of the bladder, esophagus and kidney goes down.

15 years: The risk of coronary heart disease is close to that of a nonsmoker.

20 years: The risk of certain cancers drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke. The risk of cervical cancer goes down.

The following symptoms* occur in some people and can make it hard to quit:

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Intense cravings
• Irritation
• Sadness
• Sleep issues
• Trouble concentrating

If a person’s symptoms lead to thoughts of hurting themselves or others, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is free and confidential.

A MinuteClinic provider can work one-on-one with a person who wants to quit by building a realistic plan to quit smoking as part of the Start to Stop® smoking-cessation program. The provider will give ongoing coaching and support outside of MinuteClinic visits. They can help track habits and milestones and decide which medicine and nicotine-replacement solutions best fit the situation.