Tobacco quitlines have proven to be comparable to cessation clinics in terms of proportion of smokers smoke-free at follow-up[1][2][3][4] but are more cost effective.
[5] A 2008 meta-analysis by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, found that quitline counseling increased the estimated long-run (>6 months) abstinence rate to 12.7% compared to 8.5% of smokers attempting to quit on their own; when combined with medication, the estimated long-run abstinence rate increased to 28.1% compared to 23.2% for just medication alone, a "robust effect".
[6] The treatment protocol in most tobacco cessation quitlines is a mixture of motivational interviewing,[7] behaviour therapy, and pharmacological consultation.
Quitline numbers are printed on cigarette packages in several countries as a part of the health warning labels.
The treatment protocol is based on motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy offering support to excessive consumers of alcohol and relatives alike.