Step 1: Track a few ordinary days
For three or four days, jot down each time you smoke or vape: the time, where you are, and what you were doing just before. You don't need an app; a note on your phone is enough. Most people find a handful of moments that repeat, such as the drive in, the first break, the end of a shift or the walk out of a building.
Step 2: Notice where the rules already shape your day
In Knoxville, as across Tennessee, state law already limits where you can light up. According to the University of Tennessee's Municipal Technical Advisory Service, a 2007 state law banned smoking in most enclosed public places, places of employment among them, and a 2021 amendment extended those limits to vaping devices. The UT County Technical Assistance Service adds that No Smoking signs or the international symbol must be posted at every entrance where smoking is banned at work.
If you study or work at Pellissippi State Community College, the college's Policy 08:06:00 goes further. It bars smoking in college buildings, on grounds and walkways and in college vehicles, covers e-cigarettes, vaping and smokeless tobacco as well, and limits smoking to listed parking areas at campuses such as Hardin Valley and Magnolia Avenue.
Mark on your notes which of your moments happen because you have to step outside. Those are good places to plan a different routine.
Step 3: Pick a format
Three kinds of independent providers appear in the Knoxville listings:
1. One-to-one coaching, in person or by video, with a coach who helps you build a plan to stop smoking or vaping and checks in over several weeks. 2. Consulting hypnotists, who offer non-clinical hypnosis sessions. Ask how many sessions they typically suggest and how each is structured. 3. Group programs that meet on a regular schedule with a small group.
Think about what suits you. Some people want privacy; others like hearing from people going through the same thing.
Step 4: Call two or three providers
Ask each one:
- What happens in a first session, and how long is it?
- How many sessions do people usually book?
- Do you offer video sessions for weeks when I can't get across town?
- What do you charge, and what is your cancellation policy?
- Is there follow-up contact between sessions?
Write down the answers. A provider who explains things clearly and doesn't push you to pay on the spot is a reasonable sign of how the rest of the process will go.
Step 5: Choose a start date and tell someone
Pick a date that isn't in the middle of a big deadline, a move or a holiday trip. Tell a coworker, roommate or family member. If you smoke with the same people at work every day, let them know as well, so the usual break invitation doesn't catch you off guard.
Step 6: Plan for the hard moments
Go back to the list from Step 1. For each repeating moment, decide in advance what you'll do instead: a different route to the car, a short walk, a drink of water, a call to a friend. Share that list with your provider and ask them to work through it with you. If you are on a campus where smoking is limited to the edge of a parking lot, plan what you'll do with that walk now that you're not using it to smoke.
Your own doctor or a pharmacist can talk with you about options sold at the pharmacy counter. Stop Smoking Pros providers don't give that kind of advice.
Step 7: Check in with yourself after a few weeks
After a few weeks, look back over your notes. Which moments have become easier? Which still trip you up? Bring those notes to your next session and adjust the plan. If the format you picked isn't a good fit, it is fine to try a different kind of provider.
About this directory
Stop Smoking Pros lists independent coaches, consulting hypnotists and group programs serving Knoxville. We don't run sessions and we don't check credentials. Compare a few, ask your questions, and go with the one whose approach suits your routine.