Quit Smoking

Ready to quit? The Thunder Bay District Health Unit provides support for smokers and other tobacco users who are ready to quit.

Take Control Clinic
The Take Control Clinic is offered to residents of Thunder Bay and the district. The Sm​oking Treatmen​t ​for Ontario Patients (STOP) Program is a province-wide initiative delivering s​​moking cessation treatment (up to 26 weeks of NRT) and counselling support to people who ​want to reduce/quit their tobac​co use. Through this clinic, clients will meet with a smoking cessation nurse for a free personal, confidential one-on-one counselling. During these sessions, we help clients create an individualized “quit plan” and offer support as needed during and after they quit to help them in their new smoke-free life. Importantly, STOP has been able to reach and successfully be implemented within vulnerable communities that face barriers in accessing care. The STOP Program is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health.

To set up an appointment, please call (807) 625-5900.

*Please note, you cannot enroll in both the STOP program at TBDHU and STOP on the net.

STOP on the Net

The STOP on the Net Program is an online research program from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) designed to help adults attempt to quit smoking. This program provides:

10 weeks of free nicotine patches and gum/lozenges to help participants attempt to quit smoking.

You may be eligible to participate if you:

live in Ontario
are 18 years of age or older
meet other specific eligibility criteria

To learn more about the program and to enroll, please visit: www.stopstudy.ca or download the poster in English or French here: Stop on the Net Poster

Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation

The OMSC (Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation) has a Community Program for people who wish to quit smoking who are not enrolled with a health care provider or cannot easily access smoking cessation treatment and support. Through the Community Program participants will receive:

a smoking cessation consultation
instructions on how to enroll in a Nicotine Replacement Therapy voucher program
receive 6 months of follow-up support

If you are a community member interested in this service, please call 1-888-645-5405 and leave your contact information. An Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation Nicotine Addiction Specialist will get back to you within 2 business days.

Smokers’ Helpline

Online support, text messaging, and Quit and Win contests to motivate you. For more information visit Smokers' Helpline. To enroll for text supports, text iquit to 123456.

Health811

Support to Quit Smoking - First attempts are often unsuccessful. You know this already if you’ve tried to quit smoking. Find support to make your next attempt the one that sticks.

Dial 811 for free phone support

Toll free TTY line: 1-866-797-0007

Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Coverage for First Nation and Inuit People

NIHB clients are now eligible to receive up to three courses of Smoking cessation therapies in a 12-month period. For more information visit NIHB.

Creating a Quit Plan

Include these tips for quitting smoking in your plan (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health).

We can help, too. If you would like help to create your quit plan, book an appointment with the Take Control clinic.

Talk Tobacco

Talk Tobacco is a quit line offering culturally appropriate support and information about quitting or reducing commercial tobacco and vaping products for Indigenous people.

Talk Tobacco offers:

One on one relationship based counselling and support.
Information on pharmacotherapy (Nicotine patches, prescribed medications, etc.).
Translation services offered in 16 Indigenous languages.
Information on contests and other incentives.

Visit the Talk Tobacco website or their Facebook page for more information.

Using Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) Products

Several types of NRT are available to help you quit. The following videos show you how to use each. The videos are produced by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Training Enhancement in Applied Cessation Counselling and Health project (called TEACH).