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The Alabama Department of Public Health is offering help for people who want to quit smoking in the New Year. The agency has a telephone service called the Alabama Tobacco Quitline that operates daily, and help is also available through the website quitnowalabama.com. The phone number is 1-800-QUIT-NOW. The Quitline offers coaching and an eight-week supply of nicotine replacement therapy patches, and all services are free for people who are eligible. The state says studies show that a combination of coaching and medication are more effective than just one or the other for people who are trying to give up smoking. Close to nine thousand people die annually from tobacco use in Alabama. Smoking is to blame for nearly one-third of cancer deaths in the state.