There is no secret to quitting smoking. Perhaps there are some new drugs that could help reduce the absorption of nicotine into the body, but they do not completely take away the mental desire to smoke. Quitting smoking for good takes strong determination on the part of the smoker, as well as appropriate utilization of professional counseling.

　　The newest study in Australia showed that supplementing nicotine replacement therapy with telephone smoking cessation counseling is much more successful than nicotine replacement therapy. This study places 854 smokers in two groups. One group used nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking, while the other group used telephone counseling in addition to nicotine replacement. Follow-ups revealed that nicotine replacement therapy and telephone counseling is more successful than nicotine replacement alone.

　　Many smokers had been trying to quit smoking in the past. However, they either gave up midway through the process, or they picked up smoking again sometime after they had quit. Quitting smoking does take some professional assistance, which makes reaching the goal of smoke-free reachable and permanent. Because of this, the Department of Health had enlisted the help of Teacher Chang Foundation, which is a well-known counseling service, to establish the Taiwan Smokers' Helpline in October of 2002. This helpline provides free smoking cessation service to smokers via telephone counseling. It also provides helpful information regarding the detrimental effects of smoking.

　　The Taiwan Smokers' Helpline is different from other smoking cessation service in that it focuses on the smoker's psychological dependence. It makes the smokers aware of the smoking habit that they are having, so they could be led to stay further and further away from the control of psychological dependence. They are also made prepared for the new life they'll be having after they had quit smoking. People who had successfully quit smoking through psychological counseling tend to understand better why they chose not to smoke. It is easier for them to not to pick up the habit of smoking again.

　　The many difficulties that arise during the process of quitting smoking, such as the indecision before quitting, the temporary physical discomfort during the process, or trying to adapt to the changing habit, could all be discussed with the counselor in order to come up with the best solution. Having their help is more effective and longer-lasting than trying to face the problem alone.

　　From now on, anyone who is interested in quitting smoking or trying to help a relative or friend to quit smoking could call the Taiwan Smokers' Helpline at 0800-636363. Not only would they gain invaluable information about health, they could also understand the smoking cessation process better.