Step 1: Map where and when you smoke or vape
For one ordinary week, jot down each time you light up or reach for a vape. Note the time, place and what was going on. Patterns show up quickly: the drive across town, the first coffee, the end of a shift, a stressful phone call. This list becomes the starting point for any conversation with a provider.
Step 2: Know the rules around you
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services, on the page cited below, describes the statewide Smoke-free Air Law passed in 2010, which bars smoking cigars, cigarettes, pipes and other lighted smoking devices indoors in public spaces. The same page says the state law does not currently cover e-cigarettes, though some counties and municipalities have added vaping to local smoke-free policies.
If you study, live or work at UW-Green Bay, add the campus policy. The university says smoking and e-cigarette use are not allowed in state-owned campus buildings, campus vehicles, or a buffer zone around campus buildings, and the policy reaches University Housing.
Knowing these rules helps you see which parts of your day are already smoke-free and which ones you'll need a plan for.
Step 3: Decide what kind of support fits you
Think about how you like to get help. Would you rather talk one-on-one, sit with a group, or try hypnosis? Listings here include stop-smoking coaches, consulting hypnotists and group programs. None of them provides health care. If you have questions about your health or about options a doctor or pharmacist handles, talk with your own health professional first.
Step 4: Shortlist two or three providers
Pick a few providers from the listings and contact each with the same questions:
- How many sessions do you usually plan, and how far apart?
- Do you work with people who vape, smoke, or both?
- Can we meet in person in Green Bay, by video, or either?
- What should I bring or prepare for the first session?
- What do you suggest if I slip after we've started?
- What are the fees, and when are they paid?
Write the answers in one place so you can compare them later. A simple table with one column per provider makes the differences easy to see: session count, format, timing, and how comfortable you felt on the call. Trust that last column. If someone rushed you, talked over your questions, or seemed more interested in the sale than in your week, move on to the next name on the list.
Step 5: Watch for red flags
Be cautious with anyone who makes sweeping promises, presses you to pay for a large package on the first call, or can't explain their approach in plain language. A good provider will answer your questions directly and let you decide in your own time.
Step 6: Pick a start date that suits your calendar
Some people start during a change in routine, like a semester break at UW-Green Bay or a week off work. Others prefer a quiet, predictable week. Look ahead for events that tend to bring heavy smoking or vaping triggers, such as tailgates, holidays or a stressful deadline, and plan around them.
Tell one or two people you trust when you're starting so they know to check in. If you live with someone who smokes or vapes, talk with them ahead of time about where they'll do it and whether they can keep supplies out of shared spaces for a while. Small agreements like that remove a lot of daily friction.
Step 7: Prepare your spaces
Since indoor public places are already smoke-free under state law, focus on the places that aren't: your car, your porch, a break spot outside work. Clean out the car, move ashtrays or chargers out of sight, and decide what you'll do in those moments instead.
Step 8: Keep the plan going after sessions end
After your last scheduled session, keep the notes you made in Step 1 and the plan you built with your provider. Ask whether they offer a follow-up call a few weeks later. If a hard week comes, reach back out to your provider or try a group meeting.
This directory introduces you to independent providers. We don't run programs or check credentials, so ask your questions, compare your options and choose what fits you.