Step 1: Map where you already go without smoking
Start with a week of quick notes. Each time you smoke or vape, jot down the time, the place and what you were doing. Then mark the places where you cannot smoke. In Tennessee, the Department of Health explains that state law prohibits smoking in all enclosed public places, with a few exceptions like bars serving only patrons 21 and older. If you spend time at East Tennessee State University, its policy makes the campus tobacco-free, covering smoking, vaping and tobacco use in and around university buildings and grounds, though not inside a personal vehicle. On Johnson City's Tweetsie Trail, the city's posted rules list no smoking or tobacco products.
The gaps you find are your starting material. They show you can already go stretches without a cigarette.
Step 2: Name your hardest moments
Look at your notes for the times you smoke most. Common ones are the first hour of the day, the car, breaks at work, after meals and evenings at home. Pick the three that feel toughest. You will bring these to every provider you talk to.
Step 3: Choose a stop date
Pick a date two to four weeks out. Avoid a week with a big deadline, an exam period, or travel. Write the date down and tell one or two people who will support you. Some people choose a date that lines up with a routine change, like a new semester or a new shift pattern.
Step 4: Decide which format suits you
The directory lists three broad types of independent providers:
- Stop-smoking coaches, who meet one-on-one in person or by video.
- Group programs, which bring several people together on a set schedule.
- Consulting hypnotists, whose sessions some people add to a wider plan.
If your days are unpredictable, video coaching may be easier to keep. If you like structure and company, a group may suit you. You can combine formats. Think about cost, distance and the times you are free, and be honest about which of those has stopped you from following through on plans in the past.
Step 5: Call two or three providers
Ask each one:
- How many sessions do you suggest, and over what period?
- What will you ask me to do between sessions?
- Do you work with vaping as well as cigarettes?
- What happens if I slip after my stop date?
- How do fees and cancellations work?
Note how clearly each one answers. Skip anyone who promises a fast or certain change. This site does not review credentials, so check any training a provider mentions on your own.
Step 6: Talk to your own physician if you have health questions
Coaches, groups and hypnotists listed here are not health services. If you have questions about your health, ask your physician or pharmacist before your stop date, and tell any coach or group what you have decided so they can plan around it.
Step 7: Prepare your surroundings
In the days before your date, clear lighters, ashtrays and vape supplies from your car, desk and home. Plan replacements for your three hardest moments, such as a short walk, a glass of water, or a call to a friend. Plan a few walks on the Tweetsie Trail, where smoking and tobacco products are already off the list under the city's rules.
Step 8: Keep your sessions on the calendar
Book your sessions before your stop date and for the weeks after. Put them in your phone with reminders. If you work or study at ETSU, schedule around class blocks or shifts so you are not rushing across town.
Step 9: Plan for a slip
A slip does not erase your effort. Tell your coach or group, look at what led to it, and adjust the plan. Then go back to your next scheduled session. Many people find it helps to write down one thing they would do differently next time, such as leaving the house earlier on a hard morning or changing the route on a drive that used to include a cigarette.
Step 10: Look back after a month
Review your notes from Step 1. Which routines have changed? Which still feel hard? Share that with your provider and decide together whether to keep the same schedule, space out sessions, or try another format. If you are still in a group, ask whether it makes sense to stay for another round. If you met with a coach, ask what a lighter check-in schedule might look like for the next few months, and put those dates on your calendar now so they do not slip.