"I was on QuitNet 24/7 that first week," said Jenifer Adams, a teacher from Aurora, Colo., who sought help with her withdrawal from cigarettes this summer. "Almost nonstop. I really needed that much communication and support. It's what saved me."

Adams is just one of hundreds of Coloradans who have successfully quit smoking by using QuitNet and QuitLine, two programs funded by the state's share of the nationwide tobacco settlement.

According to Jill Conley, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's State Tobacco Education and Prevention Project, 20 percent of the people who had called QuitLine for counseling have not smoked a cigarette in three months.

Of those who used QuitNet, 44 percent have not gone back to smoking.

The numbers are impressive when compared to a 2000 behavior-risk survey that showed that only 3 percent of Coloradans who tried to quit smoking succeeded that year.

Conley said the key to the success of QuitNet is its around-the-clock availability. "We hear it over and over again that people can go there any time, day or night, and get support from hundreds of people experiencing exactly what they're experiencing," she said.

Editor's note: QuitNet began as a project of Join Together; the company now operates in association with Boston University.

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