Mayo Clinic's approach

At Mayo Clinic, healthcare professionals work together in supervising nicotine dependence programs. All aspects of your health are considered in the treatment process. The healthcare team is trained in many areas. This team works together to coordinate your care, treat other medical conditions if needed and help you stay tobacco-free for life.

The Nicotine Dependence Center provides the full range of treatment options.

An invitation to talk with a tobacco treatment specialist

Counseling and a personal treatment plan

Treatment begins with a one-on-one consultation at Mayo Clinic. The first meeting is a comprehensive consultation with a tobacco treatment specialist counselor.

You don't need to be ready to quit to get benefits from this meeting.

The tobacco treatment specialist counselor works with you to understand your short- and long-term goals for tobacco and nicotine use. This specialist helps you quit in a way that works for you when you're ready. Many people then follow this consultation with one or more sessions.

You may meet alone with a counselor for one or more sessions in person, by telephone or by video. All counseling services are provided by certified tobacco treatment specialist counselors who have completed special training in tobacco dependence treatment.

Nicotine dependence medicine

You also may have access to medicine that helps you stop smoking. Medicines include some that provide a small amount of nicotine and others that have no nicotine but work in other ways.

Residential treatment program

In the Mayo Clinic five-day residential treatment program, people take part in counseling, in groups and alone, and stay in a local hotel. Certified tobacco treatment specialist counselors supervised by a healthcare professional trained in nicotine dependence treatment provide programming.

Bedside treatment in the hospital

If you're staying in the hospital, a tobacco treatment specialist counselor may visit you in your room. The specialist can help make sure you get medicines that help manage 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 now become the standard in many medical centers around the U.S.

On average, every year more than 1,800 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 counselors. These specialists have training, certification and experience in treating nicotine dependence.

The center's goal is to serve the needs of people who want help quitting smoking or using tobacco and nicotine products.

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 have published hundreds of peer-reviewed articles. Researchers continue to perform clinical research, publish their findings and improve care for people with nicotine dependence.

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.

More information about billing and insurance:

Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota

Mayo Clinic Health System

Clinical trials

Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.

March 04, 2025
  1. Health Education & Content Services. My smoke-free future. Mayo Clinic; 2024.
  2. Handling nicotine withdrawal and triggers when you decide to quit tobacco. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/withdrawal-fact-sheet. Accessed Sept. 11, 2024.
  3. AskMayoExpert. Tobacco use. Mayo Clinic; 2024.
  4. Health Education & Content Services. Medicines to help you quit tobacco. Mayo Clinic; 2024.
  5. Nicotine replacement therapy and adolescent patients. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/tobacco-control-and-prevention/youth-tobacco-cessation/nicotine-replacement-therapy-and-adolescent-patients/. Accessed Oct. 15, 2024.
  6. Rosen JB, et al. Management of smoking and vaping cessation in adolescents. https://www.uptodate.com/content/search. Accessed Oct. 11, 2024.
  7. Rigotti NA. Overview of smoking cessation management in adults. https://www.uptodate.com/content/search. Accessed Oct. 11, 2024.
  8. Harms of cigarette smoking and health benefits of quitting. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/cessation-fact-sheet. Accessed Oct. 11, 2024.
  9. Health risks of smoking tobacco. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/health-risks-of-tobacco/health-risks-of-smoking-tobacco.html. Accessed Oct. 11, 2024.
  10. Smoking and diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/diabetes.html. Accessed Oct. 11, 2024.
  11. Rigotti NA. Pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation in adults. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 14, 2024.
  12. Goldman L, et al., eds. Nicotine and tobacco. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Elsevier; 2024. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 14, 2024.
  13. Ebbert JO (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Oct. 14, 2024.
  14. Nimmagadda, R. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. Dec. 3, 2024.

Related

Products & Services