Truth Initiative

 Truth Initiative is a national public health organization dedicated to achieving a culture where all young people reject smoking, vaping and nicotine and a future where tobacco and nicotine addiction are a thing of the past. In 2020, Truth Initiative celebrated 20 years of saving lives and preventing millions of youth from smoking. Truth Initiative has helped drive the teen smoking rate down from 23% in 2000 to under 3% in 2021. The truth about tobacco and the tobacco industry are at the heart of its proven-effective and nationally recognized truth® public education campaign. As youth e-cigarette use threatens to addict a new generation to nicotine, Truth Initiative is leading the fight against tobacco and nicotine addiction in all forms. Its rigorous scientific research and policy studies, community and youth engagement programs supporting populations at high risk of using tobacco, and innovation in the development and implementation of tobacco cessation programs including the youth text message quit vaping program, This Is Quitting from truth, are also helping to end one of the most critical public health battles of our time.

This Is Quitting

This is Quitting is the first-of-its-kind, free and anonymous text messaging program designed to help young people quit vaping. This is Quitting, which launched in January 2019, was created with input from teens, college students and young adults who have attempted to, or successfully, quit e-cigarettes. The program is tailored by age to give teens and young adults appropriate recommendations about quitting, and features tips and encouragement from other young people who have used the program. Preliminary data published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research showed after just two weeks of using This is Quitting, more than half of participants—60.8%—reported that they had reduced or stopped using e-cigarettes. This is Quitting has already helped more than 280,000 youth and young adults on their journey to quit vaping. Teens and young adults can text "DITCHVAPE" to 88709 and get immediate help.

Parents of vapers can text QUIT to (202) 899-7550 to sign up to receive text messages designed specifically for them.

Hear PAVe’s podcast interview with Truth Initiative CEO and President Robin Koval:

Episode 25: The Truth about getting your kid to quit