United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Wilmington VA Medical Center

Smoking Cessation Services

Image of woman breaking the cigarette habit

The Wilmington VA Medical Center offers medical education, support, counseling, stress management techniques, self hypnosis techniques, and other guidance that can be of benefit in helping Veterans quit smoking and stay quit. Pharmacotherapy is an integral part of the treatment. The addiction to nicotine is as difficult as the addiction to heroin and cocaine, and yet people frequently minimize the difficulty of quitting smoking. Smoking also is a strong psychological habit associated with the physical addiction, which actually makes the cravings for a cigarette more difficult than any other addiction. We strongly encourage all Veterans to seek counseling with any attempt they may make to quit smoking. Pharmaceutical products to help you quit can be obtained from your providers or when you seek counseling at the programs.

Quitnet.com logoAnother referral that can be helpful is the telephone counseling that has been set up by each state. Veterans can access this help by calling 1800-QUIT-NOW which will lead them directly to their own state's Help Line. This is a great adjunct to any treatment that is offered by the VA as it brings someone into the Veteran's home over the phone to call and prove at-home support to a Veteran's quit attempt. An interesting internet site that can provide assistance to quitters is http://www.quitnet.com This link will take you to a non-VA website and is provided for convenience only. You are leaving the VA Intranet and VA is not responsible for the content of the site to which you will be taken..

The smoking cessation program is available to all veterans and employees. Contact the Smoking Cessation Coordinator or a primary care provider if you would like to sign up. Our Smoking Cessation Coordinator, Pat Frick, RN, can be reached by calling 302-994-2511, x4167.

Patients and employees can attend smoking cessation programs at the Wilmington VAMC or at each of the five CBOCs in the New Jersey and Delaware areas. The groups are held each month and patients are scheduled to attend weekly in order to help them get the support and information that they need to help them quit. The Coordinator also can see you individually if you do not feel that you can attend the groups.

Other Smoking Cessation Resources

Important News Regarding Electronic Cigarettes

On Wednesday, July 22, 2009, public health experts joined FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein, M.D., and Matthew McKenna, M.D., Director of the Office of Smoking and Health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss the potential health risks associated with electronic cigarettes, also known as "e-cigarettes." Click the links below to learn more about the agency's concerns about these products.