This month we are excited to feature QUIT, a service for people at any stage of trying to quit smoking or vaping with phone counselling, an online toolbox and resources, and personalised 12-week email program.

Quitline is QUITs free, confidential phone counselling service, providing friendly, supportive counselling to help people understand the harms of smoking or vaping and the benefits of quitting. QUIT counsellors are qualified counsellors with years of experiences, supporting people at any stage of their quitting journey. They can:

• Help motivate callers by listening carefully to their reasons for stopping smoking or vaping.
• Set up a tailored quit plan.
• Offer tips and strategies to stay on track and manage cravings.
• Draw on callers own experiences to make a plan to try quitting again by discussing how they’ve tried to quit in the past.
• Support callers using vapes to stop smoking, and help them stop vaping.
• Post callers a resource pack
• Chat with people supporting someone to quit.

Quitline offers optional call-back, as well as access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander counsellors for culturally sensitive support, interpreters for languages other than English, and connection with the National Relay Service for callers who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment. People can also choose to contact Quitline using the live webchat feature on the QUIT website.

The QUIT website offers evidence-based information, and a toolbox of resources to help people build a quit plan for smoking or vaping, track progress, or support someone else.

The QUIT smoking/vaping plan guides users through a four step approach to building a plan to quit smoking or vaping, designed to fit their needs and increase the likelihood of success.

1. Users are encouraged to set a specific ‘quit date’, allowing time to prepare and get started.
2. Users write down some key reasons why they want to quit smoking or vaping, to help them stay on track during tougher times.
3. Users identify their reasons for smoking or vaping, identifying triggers by reflecting on the situations or emotions that lead them to smoke or vape. Users are encouraged to consider how to might manage without reaching for a cigarette or vape.
4. Users choose a method and support network to help them quit and stay quit. This allows users to ensure they have the tools and resources in place to achieve their quitting goal.

The QUIT toolbox includes a smoking calculator, to see how much users could save from quitting, tips and tactics to conquer cravings and manage feelings of withdrawal, as well as an interactive distraction tool.

Another QUIT offering is QuitMail, providing free personalised email support to help people quit smoking or vaping. QuitMail delivers regular emails over 12 weeks tracking peoples financial and health gains. These emails also contain lots of targeted tips to help people maintain new behaviour after quitting.

QUIT is designed to support all Australians looking to quit smoking or vaping, or supporting someone else to quit. It is culturally safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with callers able to ask to yarn with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander counsellor with Quitline.

QUIT is appropriate to use with adolescents, and has translation and accessibility options for non-English speaking callers, and people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment.

Health Practitioners can access a range of resources on the QUIT website including information and training to help health professionals address smoking and vaping, online training for health professionals working in different settings, and smoking cessation guidelines for best practice.

Health practitioners can refer clients or patients to Quitline using the Quitline referral form, and order resources to share in their practice, including brochures, fact sheets, posters and merchandise. They may also refer clients to explore the QUIT website, or use specific tools such as the quit plan, QuitMail, or the savings calculator.

QUIT provides support to doctors and health professions with the Quit Centre, offering evidence-based resources to help patients to quit. The Quit Centre includes the latest clinical information, resources and training on smoking and vaping cessation.

QUIT and all of the services it offers are free to access at any time.

QUIT is available online at https://www.quit.org.au/, where users can fine information, tools and access Quitline webchat.

People can call 13 7848 to speak with Quitline counsellors, or request a call back using the online form at https://www.quit.org.au/request-callback. Quitline hours differ slightly between states, however is typically available Monday to Friday, from 8am to 8pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 5pm.

Quitline hours of operation:

• VIC: Mon-Fri (8am-8pm), Sat (10am-5pm). Closed Sundays and public holidays.
• ACT: Mon-Fri (8am-8pm), Sat (9am-5pm). Closed Sundays and public holidays.
• NSW: Mon-Fri (8am-8pm), Sat (9am-5pm). Closed Sundays and public holidays.
• NT: Mon-Fri (8am-8pm). Closed Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
• QLD: Mon-Fri (8am-8pm), Sat-Sun and public holidays (8:30am-5pm)
• SA: Mon-Fri (8am-8pm). Closed Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
• TAS: Mon-Fri (8am-8pm). Closed Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.
• WA” Mon-Fri (8am-8pm), Sat (10am-5pm). Closed Sundays and public holidays.

People can sign up for QuitMail online at https://www.quit.org.au/quitmail.

QUITs information and resources are influenced by Cancer Council Victoria’s research and evaluation. Their website includes a summary of the centre’s research into smoking and vaping cessation here.

The online Make a Plan tool has had a significant uptake and , supporting an estimated 33,000 people in 2020 to take meaningful steps toward quitting smoking for good.