For those who have struggled to overcome an addiction to tobacco, free help is now available.

The Alabama Department of Public Health just unveiled a new service, alabamaquitnow.com, a Web-based program designed help tobacco users develop a personalized plan for quitting.

As part of the service, free master’s level counseling and four weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches are available if the user is actively engaged in counseling and is medically eligible.

Alabama tobacco users can log on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The ADPH is funding the program through a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Alabama has one of the highest smoking rates in the nation, with more than one in five Alabamians using tobacco.

The NRT will be mailed directly to the user if there are no concerns about medications the user is taking. If the user is taking certain medications that could interfere with the NRT, the program will ask the user’s doctor for permission to send the NRT.

With free help available, there’s no reason not to try quitting again. The ADPH’s investment in this program should help Alabamians who take advantage of it live longer, healthier lives.