This Is Quitting Review 2026: Truth Text Program vs an App

A This Is Quitting review needs one correction up front: the Truth Initiative text program people search for under that name is now part of a larger service called EX Program. This guide explains what the program is, who can join, what the text messages are like, what two randomized trials found, what it does not do, and how it compares with a quit app. It is written for young adults who vape and for parents helping them, and it keeps to what Truth Initiative and the published trials actually say.

What This Is Quitting Is Now

Truth Initiative, the nonprofit behind the truth youth campaign, launched This Is Quitting in January 2019 as a text program for young people who wanted to stop vaping. In its May 2026 announcement, the organization says it “launched This is Quitting in 2019 as the first text-based quit-vaping program specifically designed for youth and young adults,” and that “today, This is Quitting is part of EX Program by Truth Initiative, a comprehensive digital tobacco cessation platform developed in 2008 with Mayo Clinic” (Truth Initiative press release, May 7, 2026).

The same release reports that 1 million young people ages 13 to 24 have enrolled in the free and confidential EX Program. If you search for the old name, thisisquitting.com now redirects to the EX Program sign-up page (we checked on 4 October 2026), so the practical answer to “how do I join This Is Quitting” is “join EX Program.” Truth Initiative describes EX Program as “a free digital cessation program that offers the proven tools, expert resources, and community support that can help people of all ages quit any tobacco or nicotine product” (Truth Initiative, EX Program).

Who Can Use It and How to Join

The sign-up page for EX Program says it “is only available to users 13 and up.” It asks for a mobile number and a birth date, tells you to “make sure it is a valid, US phone number,” and notes that “Message frequency varies. Message & data rates may apply.” You can stop the texts at any time by replying STOP. The page also offers an alternative for people who prefer not to give a number: “Create a profile to join without a mobile number” (EX Program sign-up).

Two practical notes for parents and young people. First, the program is built for the United States, so someone outside the US without a US number may be unable to use the text version. Second, the sign-up page includes a line for teens who are not ready to talk to a parent: “Talk to an adult you trust about support to quit, or text TRUTH to 741741 to connect anonymously with a trained volunteer crisis counselor.” We have not tested enrollment ourselves. Truth Initiative’s May 2026 release says anyone ages 13 and up can join EX Program by texting EXPROGRAM to 88709, but text keywords can change, so confirm the current method on the sign-up page before you rely on it.

If you are a parent, our guide on how to help your teenager quit vaping covers what to say and what to avoid, and the shorter plan in how to quit vaping cold turkey: your first 7 days works well alongside a text program.

What the Messages Are Like

When the program launched, Truth Initiative described the experience this way: users “receive interactive daily text messages (tailored to their age, sign-up date or quit date), which feature encouragement and empathy, motivation, skill-and self-efficacy building exercises, tips and advice” (Truth Initiative press release on the launch). It also said the program was developed with the help of teens, college students and young adults who had already tried to quit or had quit, and that more than 27,000 youth and young adults enrolled in the first five weeks.

The current EX Program page says users receive “personalized quit plans, daily advice and encouragement, text message support, interactive tools, and resources from Mayo Clinic and Truth Initiative experts,” plus access to an online community of current and former tobacco and nicotine users. In the trials below, the text program delivered “cognitive and behavioral coping skills training and social support.” In plain terms: short, regular messages that help you notice triggers, practice coping skills and keep going after a slip.

Truth Initiative’s own explainer walks through how the program works:

The Trial Evidence

Two randomized clinical trials tested the text program against an assessment-only control group. Both recruited volunteers through social media ads and measured quitting by self-report.

The 2021 trial concluded that “a tailored and interactive text message intervention was effective in promoting vaping cessation among YAs” (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2021). The 2024 trial concluded that “a tailored, interactive text message intervention increased self-reported vaping cessation rates among adolescents recruited via social media channels” and found “no evidence that adolescents who quit vaping transitioned to combustible tobacco products” (JAMA, 2024).

How to read those numbers: in the 2021 trial, roughly 24 in 100 program users reported 30 days without vaping at seven months, versus roughly 19 in 100 controls, a gap of about five and a half percentage points. In the 2024 trial the gap was about ten percentage points. Both gaps are modest in absolute terms, both are based on what participants reported themselves, and both involved volunteers who were already interested in quitting within 30 days, so results may not apply to everyone who vapes. Still, a free program that moves those numbers is worth using.

What It Does Not Do

• It is not medication. A text program does not replace nicotine replacement therapy or other medicines. The EX Program sign-up page notes that quit medication such as gum, lozenges or patches “can double your chances of quitting,” which is a conversation for a doctor or pharmacist, particularly for teenagers.
• Live coaching is listed under Premium. Truth Initiative describes 1:1 live chat coaching with tobacco treatment specialists as part of EX Program Premium, which it designs for employers and health plans. The free program description lists texts, tools and an online community instead.
• It does not diagnose or treat dependence. It teaches coping skills and offers support. Anyone worried about their mental health should talk to a doctor.
• Results are not guaranteed. Most participants in the trials did not report quitting, which is a reminder to plan for slips and to stack support.

This Is Quitting vs a Quit App

We make iQuit, so weigh our comparison accordingly. The honest summary is that the text program has trial evidence that iQuit does not, while an app can be opened at the exact minute a craving hits. iQuit is built around quitting cigarettes and does not have a vaping-specific mode, although its craving tools are generic enough to use for any urge. For vaping-focused app comparisons, see the best quit vaping apps ranked and how iQuit supports vape cessation. Another free government tool is reviewed in our QuitSTART app review.

Using Both Together

You do not have to choose. A realistic combination for a young adult or adult:

1. Join the text program for daily structure and community.
2. Set a quit date and tell one person who will check in.
3. Use an app for the gaps between texts: a craving log to spot your trigger times, and breathing or grounding tools when a craving is strong.
4. Talk to a clinician about medication, especially if you have tried and slipped before.

iQuit’s craving log records triggers and intensity, its SOS tools offer breathing exercises, grounding and a virtual cigarette to use while the urge passes, and streak shields with slip recovery are there for the days a quit wobbles. An AI coach with a free daily allowance of messages can help you plan around a hard moment. None of this replaces professional help. iQuit is not a vaping program, so parents of teenagers should start with the text program and a conversation with their doctor. For the wider picture of teen vaping, youth vaping statistics for 2026 has the data, and how to quit smoking as a teenager covers a plan for younger readers.

Verdict

If you vape, are 13 or older, have a US phone number and want a free program with real trial evidence behind it, EX Program (This Is Quitting) is worth joining today. Its strength is evidence and a steady daily rhythm; its limits are no medication and no live coaching in the free version, and it is built for the US. Pair it with a plan, a person to tell and, if you want in-the-moment tools, an app. Rely on the trials, not on anyone’s marketing, including ours.

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