Step 1: Map where you already cannot smoke or vape
Start with a plain list of where you spend your week. Then mark the places where rules already apply. Under the Georgia rules for the Smokefree Air Act of 2005, smoking is barred in enclosed public places and enclosed areas of workplaces, except where the Act allows it. A county fact sheet on the Augusta-Richmond County website adds that, under the county ordinance that the sheet says goes into effect Jan. 1, 2019, enclosed indoor workplaces and public buildings are smokefree and vapefree.
If you are at Augusta University for work, school or a visit, its Tobacco Free Policy covers every property the university owns, leases or controls, including parking decks, green space and adjacent sidewalks, and it includes electronic cigarettes.
Step 2: Find the gaps
Now look at what is left. The county fact sheet says smoking or vaping can still happen a reasonable distance outdoors from buildings, and that golf courses and other outdoor spaces are not covered by the ordinance. Your car and your home are also outside these rules. Circle the times and places where you usually smoke or vape. These gaps are what your plan needs to address.
Step 3: Choose a start date with structure
Many people find it easier to begin on a day with a predictable schedule. If most of your weekday sits inside a smokefree and vapefree workplace or on university grounds, a weekday start may give you more covered hours. Mark the date on your calendar and tell one or two people who will check in with you.
Step 4: Decide what kind of support you want
Stop Smoking Pros lists independent stop-smoking coaches, consulting hypnotists and group programs. We do not run programs or review credentials. Think about what suits you:
- one-on-one meetings or a group;
- in person, by phone or by video;
- a short series or a longer stretch of check-ins.
Step 5: Interview two or three providers
Ask each one the same questions so you can compare fairly:
1. What does a typical meeting cover? 2. How many meetings do you usually plan, and over how long? 3. What happens if I smoke or vape again partway through? 4. Can we meet during a lunch break or in the evening? 5. What is the full cost, and how do cancellations work?
Be cautious of any provider who makes big promises. A careful provider will talk about your routine, not a sales pitch.
Step 6: Plan for the hard hours
Using your list from Step 2, write down what you will do instead during each gap: a short walk, a call, a glass of water, a change of route home. Share the list with your provider at your first meeting. If evenings and weekends are the hardest, ask the provider to schedule check-ins near those times.
Step 7: Know what to do if a rule is ignored
If someone is smoking indoors where it is not allowed and it is making your plan harder, the state rules say any citizen may register a complaint with the Department, which enforces the Act together with the county boards of health. You do not have to confront anyone yourself.
Step 8: Prepare the people around you
Stopping is easier when the people you spend time with know your plan. Tell a coworker who takes breaks with you, and ask a family member not to smoke or vape in the car while you are in it. If you have friends who gather on a patio or at a golf course, places the county fact sheet says the ordinance does not cover, suggest meeting somewhere indoors for the first few weeks. Small changes like these remove a lot of everyday moments where you might otherwise reach for a cigarette or a vape.
If you have the option to change your route home or your break location at work, try it for a few weeks. Ask your provider how to handle the moments you cannot avoid.
Step 9: Check in with your doctor if you need to
If you have health questions, talk with your own doctor or another qualified health professional. A coach or hypnotist is not a substitute for that advice.
Step 10: Review after a few weeks
After three or four weeks, look back at your Step 2 list. Which gaps feel easier? Which still catch you? Bring that review to your provider and adjust the plan. Keep using the places in Augusta that are already smokefree and vapefree as anchors in your week.