Start here
This guide is for anyone in Billings who has decided to work with an outside provider on stopping smoking or vaping and wants to choose that provider with care. It does not tell you which method to use. It helps you sort out your own situation, compare a few providers and keep the decision in your hands.
Step 1: Map your week
For seven days, jot down each time you smoke or vape: the time, the place and what you were doing. Many people in Billings find the map clusters around a few places: the car, work breaks outdoors, the back step at home. A clear map is the most useful thing you can bring to a first appointment. Note, too, how you were feeling each time: bored, rushed, tired, sociable. A provider will often ask, and having it written down saves you from guessing in the room.
Step 2: Mark the hours the law already covers
Montana's Clean Indoor Air Act, as the state health department describes it, prohibits smoking, including marijuana and e-cigarettes, in enclosed public places, and those places must post signs at every public entrance. Go back over your map and shade the hours you spend in restaurants, shops, offices and other indoor public spaces. Those hours are already off the table. Seeing how much of the day that covers can help you and a provider decide where to focus.
Step 3: Check your campus or workplace rules
If you are a student, staff member, contractor or regular visitor at MSU Billings, add the campus policy to your map. The university says it and all its campuses have been tobacco free since August 15, 2012, and that the use, sale or distribution of tobacco products is prohibited on all properties it owns, operates or leases. Many employers have their own rules too; ask your HR office for a copy. Knowing these rules in advance avoids surprises and gives a provider more to plan with.
Step 4: Choose a format to try first
Think about how you like to get help:
- A one-to-one coach if you want a written plan and someone to talk it through with you regularly.
- A consulting hypnotist if you are curious about that approach and comfortable with an in-person or video appointment.
- A group program if you would rather hear from others and meet on a fixed weekly schedule.
- A workplace program if your employer offers one.
Billings draws people from across Southeast Montana, as MSU Billings notes in describing the city as the region's trade center. If you live outside town, put video options near the top of your list.
Step 5: Shortlist three providers
From the listings on this page, pick three providers who offer your chosen format at times you can manage. Read their own websites. Notice whether they speak plainly about what they offer or lean on big promises.
Step 6: Ask the same questions of each
Call or email each provider and ask:
1. How many sessions do you usually suggest, and how long are they? 2. What is your background and training? 3. What happens between sessions? 4. What is the full cost, and what is the refund policy? 5. Do you offer early, evening, weekend or video appointments?
Compare the answers side by side. If a provider will not give a straight answer on price, cross them off. Also notice what each one does with your Step 1 map. A provider who asks about it and builds from it is paying attention to your week rather than selling you a standard package.
Step 7: Talk to your own doctor
Before you begin, especially if you have a health condition, mention your plan to your own doctor. A private coach, hypnotist or group is not a substitute for that advice, and your doctor may have questions or suggestions of their own.
Step 8: Book, then set a review point
Book your first appointment and set a date about a month later to look back. Take out your Step 1 map, make a fresh one for a week, and compare. Decide whether to continue with the same provider, change format, or try someone else. The choice stays yours at every stage, and it is fine to change course.