Trying to kick the tobacco habit? Alabama’s public health department is offering free assistance through a telephone-based tobacco cessation service that provides counseling and four weeks of nicotine patches for those who qualify, officials said.

The Alabama Tobacco Quitline can be accessed by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or online at alabamaquitnow.com.

Phone counselors are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Calls placed after hours or on weekends or holidays are returned on the next business day.

Studies have shown that people are twice as likely to quit if they receive counseling along with patches, said Adrienne Tricksey, the Alabama Department of Public Health’s tobacco control coordinator for Mobile County.

Trained counselors from the telephone hotline work one-on-one with callers to help them create a specific plan to stop smoking, and a Spanish-speaking counselor also is available; translator services will serve those who speak other languages.