Unfriend Tobacco
For help, call 1-866-QUIT-YES or text ‘Start My Quit’ to 36072.
Each breath is a choice. Choose freedom with every inhale. Unfriend Tobacco. Your lungs, your rules! Say yes to freedom, yes to health, and yes to taking control of your life.
Ready to declare your independence from tobacco and vape products? Vape and tobacco products can hurt you, causing damage to your brain, lungs, and every organ in your body. The best way to avoid these dangers is to never try them. There is support for current tobacco and vape users. Quitting is worth it! Free resources are available to help adults and youth quit smoking, vaping, or other tobacco use.
Learn about the harms of tobacco and vaping products and how they affect your health. Explore resources to help you quit and find out about policies in place to help communities breathe clean air.
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Prevention
The best way to avoid tobacco-related diseases or death is to never try any tobacco or vaping products.
Quitting
Vaping is addictive. You can beat the cravings. Text START MY QUIT to 36072 to chat with a trained quit coach.
Tobacco-Free Living
Secondhand smoke affects everyone. Model a smoke-free lifestyle and breathe easy.
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Fact Sheets
Resources
Please use the additional resources listed on this page to help you get involved and take action against tobacco use or for additional information.
Quitting Resources
- Illinois Tobacco Quitline – The Illinois Tobacco Quitline is a free service to support Illinois residents on their journey to quit tobacco. Our certified Quitline counselors are trained to help you find the best strategy to move forward in your life tobacco-free. Call 1-866-QUIT-YES and visit quityes.com
- My Life, My Quit – My Life, My Quit™ is the free and confidential way to quit smoking or vaping for youth. Text “Start My Quit” to 36072 and visit mylifemyquit.com .
Youth
Use the websites below to find more information on remaining or becoming tobacco-free.
- The Real Cost – Interact with this site to fully understand the real cost of tobacco use to you and your friends.
- Truth – The truth® campaign is the largest national youth-focused anti-tobacco education campaign ever.
- Tobacco Free Kids – The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is a leading force in the fight to reduce tobacco use and its deadly toll in the United States and around the world.
- Smokefree Teen – A new effort to help teens quit smoking using a mobile phone.
- Know the Risks – Office of the U.S. Surgeon General “Know The Risks E-Cigarettes & Young People”
- QuitSTART App – A free smartphone app for teens who want to quit smoking. This app takes the information you provide about your smoking history and gives you tailored tips and inspiration to help you become smokefree and live a healthier life.
Adults/Parents/Caregivers
- Smokefree.gov – The National Cancer Institute (NCI) created Smokefree.gov to help you or someone you care about quit smoking. It is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ efforts to reduce smoking rates in the United States.
- This is Quitting – Parents can text QUIT to 847-278-9715 to sign up to receive text messages designed specifically for parents of vapers.
- SmokefreeTXT – For adults in the United States who are ready to quit smoking. Text QUIT to 47848.
Schools
- American Heart Association – Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit designed to assist schools in creating a tobacco-free environment that helps prevent students from using tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, and support students who need help quitting. The toolkit includes model language for the adoption, implementation, and enforcement of a 100% tobacco-free school district policy.
- Empower Vape-Free Youth – CDC campaign to encourage middle and high school educators to speak with students about the risks of e-cigarettes and nicotine addiction. The campaign also provides resources for educators to help students avoid or quit vaping.
About Our Work
Cook County Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program works with partners to strengthen state, county and municipal tobacco prevention and control policies to: eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, prevent youth from starting to smoke and vape, promote quitting among adults and youth, and identify and reduce tobacco-related disparities in suburban Cook County.
Updated April 1, 2025, 11:40 AM