Mayo Clinic's approach
- Collaboration. Mayo Clinic's programs are supervised by health care providers so that all aspects of your condition are considered in the treatment process. A team of providers trained in many areas work together to coordinate your care and, when needed, treat other medical conditions.
- Expertise. Mayo Clinic has one of the largest and most experienced practices in the United States, with campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Health professionals skilled in many specialties work together to ensure quality care and successful recovery.
- Tobacco cessation counseling. All counseling services are provided by certified tobacco treatment specialist counselors who have completed special training in tobacco dependence treatment.
- Full-service provider. The Nicotine Dependence Center provides the full range of treatment options. Treatment options include individual and group counseling, outpatient appointments, hospital bedside counseling, a unique, five-day residential treatment program, and virtual care appointment options.
If you want to stop smoking, Mayo Clinic offers these treatments:
- Counseling. After your first one-on-one consultation, you may be counseled individually for one or more sessions in person or through virtual appointments (telephone or video). These sessions can help you stay motivated and avoid or deal with relapse. The sessions can also help you gain confidence in your ability to stay tobacco-free.
- Drugs. Drugs to help you stop smoking include quit-smoking drugs (nicotine replacement therapy) and non-nicotine drugs. Using one or more of these drugs can increase your chances of quitting. Mayo Clinic researchers actively study how well drugs for stopping smoking work.
Combining counseling and drugs is the most effective strategy to quit smoking for most people.
Mayo Clinic in Minnesota offers these additional treatment options:
- Individual counseling and customized treatment plans. Treatment begins with a one-on-one consultation at Mayo Clinic. Many people then follow this consultation with one or more individual sessions.
- Outpatient counseling. The first meeting is a comprehensive consultation with a tobacco treatment specialist (TTS). You don't need to be ready to quit to get benefits from this meeting. The TTS works with you to understand your short- and long-term goals for tobacco and nicotine use and for quitting in a way that works for you when you're ready.
- An updated, unique intensive treatment program, beginning in early 2023. This program offers individual and group counseling. Programming is provided by certified TTS counselors supervised by a doctor or an advanced practice nurse clinician trained in nicotine dependence treatment.
- Bedside treatment in the hospital. If you're staying in the hospital, a TTS may visit you in your room. The specialist can help make sure you get drugs helpful in managing nicotine withdrawal and cravings while you're in the hospital.
Expertise and rankings
The Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center was one of the first centers in the country to focus entirely on tobacco dependence treatments. This model of care has become the standard in many medical centers around the U.S.
Every year, more than 1,700 people use the services at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota to help them stop using tobacco. People also use the services at sites in the Mayo Clinic Health System in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Programs are led by tobacco treatment specialist (TTS) counselors. These specialists have special training, certification and experience in treating nicotine dependence.
The center's goal is to serve the needs of people who need help quitting smoking. The team in the center does this by applying research findings to practice and education. Since opening in 1988, the center has continued to make important contributions to addiction research and tobacco dependence interventions.
Mayo researchers in nicotine dependence have published more than 500 peer-reviewed articles in the last 20 years. Researchers continue to perform clinical research and publish research.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:
Costs and insurance
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.
In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.
Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.
Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.