How to use this guide
This is a planning guide, not a set of rules. It walks through the choices most people face when they decide to look for outside support in Elmira. Skip any step that doesn't apply to you.
Step 1: Write down your routine
For three or four days, jot down when and where you smoke or vape. Note the time, the place, what you were doing and who was around. Morning coffee, the drive in, the walk after lunch, the end of a shift. Patterns usually show up quickly, and they give a provider something concrete to work with. Add a word or two about your mood at the time, too: bored, rushed, relaxed, stressed. Mood notes often explain entries that the clock and the place don't, and they make a first meeting with any provider more focused.
Step 2: Notice where the law already applies
New York Public Health Law section 1399-o, "Smoking and vaping restrictions," says smoking and vaping shall not be permitted in a list of indoor areas. That list includes places of employment, bars, food service establishments (with an exception the law spells out), and public mass transportation such as buses and taxis when passengers are aboard.
Look back at your log from Step 1. Which entries happen right before or right after time spent in one of those places? Those transition moments are often where people plan changes first.
Step 3: Check the rules in places you spend time
If Elmira College is part of your life, as a student, an employee or a visitor, its written Smoke-Free Campus policy applies to you. The college says tobacco use, marijuana use and vaping are prohibited everywhere within the perimeter of college property, indoors and out, in college-owned vehicles and in any vehicle on college property, as well as at college-sponsored off-campus events.
Your own workplace, landlord or apartment building may also have a policy. Ask for a copy so you know where things stand.
Step 4: Pick the kind of provider you want
Decide which format you'd actually show up for:
- a stop-smoking coach, one-on-one, in person or by video
- a consulting hypnotist, with sessions based on suggestion and relaxation
- a group program that meets on a regular schedule
There is no single right choice. Some people try one format and later switch. None of these providers supplies drugs or products, and none replaces your own doctor's advice.
Step 5: Contact two or three providers
Use the Elmira listings on this page. Ask each provider:
1. How many meetings do you usually plan, and over how many weeks? 2. Do you work with people who vape, smoke, or both? 3. Can I meet by video if the weather or my schedule gets in the way? 4. What is the full cost, including any follow-up contact? 5. What is your cancellation policy?
Write the answers side by side. Practical detail is a better guide than enthusiasm.
Step 6: Choose a start date
Pick a date with some breathing room around it. Good candidates include the start of a vacation week, a move, a new job, or the beginning of a semester. Avoid weeks you already know will be packed with deadlines or travel.
Tell one or two people you trust what date you picked, and what kind of support you'd like from them.
Step 7: Prepare your spaces
Before the start date, think about the places on your Step 1 log. Clear ashtrays or charging spots from the car and the porch. Plan a different route for the walk where you usually light up. Small changes to the setting can make the first days easier to plan for.
Step 8: Keep a short journal
After each session, jot down what you talked about and what you want to try next. Bring the notes to your next meeting. If a format isn't a fit, say so, or try a different provider from the list.
Step 9: Check in with your own doctor
Let your doctor or pharmacist know your plan and your start date. They can answer questions about your own health that a coach, hypnotist or group leader can't, and they can tell you what fits alongside the provider you chose.
Going at your own pace
Plans change, and that's normal. Come back to this guide whenever you want to rethink a step.