Before you begin
This guide is for anyone in Muncie or the rest of Delaware County who has decided to stop smoking or vaping and is not sure which kind of provider to call. It focuses on choosing a provider and building a plan around your real life. Take the steps in order, or skip ahead to the ones that fit.
Step 1: Notice your patterns for a few days
Keep a quick note on your phone each time you smoke or vape: the time, where you are, and what you were doing. After three or four days, look for clusters. Maybe it is the morning drive across town, the first coffee, or the end of a shift. These notes will make your first conversation with a provider far more useful.
Step 2: Know where the rules already help
Indiana's statewide smoke-free air law, in effect since July 1, 2012, prohibits smoking in most public places and many workplaces. The state lists bars, casinos, private clubs, retail tobacco shops and e-cigarettes as exempt from that statewide law, but it lets cities and counties go further. Delaware County did: the state health department's list of local smoke free air laws shows the county's law covering non-hospitality workplaces, restaurants, bars and membership clubs such as VFWs and Elks. That means many indoor places you visit in town are already smoke free, which can make some parts of your plan easier.
Step 3: Choose a format
Decide what kind of help you want:
- A one-on-one coach for regular, private check-ins.
- A consulting hypnotist for structured individual appointments.
- A group program for shared accountability on a fixed schedule.
You can also combine formats. Some people start with a group and add individual check-ins later.
Step 4: Set a budget and schedule
Before you call anyone, decide how much you can spend over the next couple of months and which evenings or lunch hours are reliably free. Knowing both makes it easier to rule providers in or out on the first call, and it keeps you from agreeing to a package that does not fit.
Step 5: Build a short list
Use the listings on this page to pick two or three independent providers. Note whether each offers in-person sessions in Muncie, video sessions, or both. This directory does not review providers' training, so plan to ask.
Step 6: Call each provider
Use the same questions for every call so you can compare:
- How many sessions do you usually plan, and over how long?
- Do you help with vaping as well as cigarettes?
- What will you ask me to do between sessions?
- What is the full cost, and what happens if I need to reschedule?
- What training does the session leader have?
Be wary of anyone who rushes you to commit or will not describe a typical session.
Step 7: Pick a start date
Choose a day within the next two or three weeks that is not packed with stress, travel or a big event. Tell one or two people you trust. If you live with someone who smokes, talk about which spaces at home will stay smoke free.
Step 8: Prepare your surroundings
Clear ashtrays, lighters and spare cartridges from your car and home. Plan substitutes for the moments you noted in Step 1, such as a different route, a short walk or something to hold. Share those moments with your provider so the plan fits them.
Step 9: Know your options if rules are ignored
If you run into smoking where a law says it is not allowed, the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission says complaints about the statewide ban go to the local Indiana State Excise Police district, where a noncompliant owner or operator commits a Class B infraction. Complaints under a local rule, such as Delaware County's, go to local government rather than the commission. Knowing this can help you protect smoke free spaces you rely on.
Step 10: Review and adjust
After a few weeks, look back at your notes with your provider. Talk about which moments are easier and which still feel hard, and adjust the plan. Slips happen; what matters is getting back to the plan. If one format no longer fits your schedule, it is fine to switch, for example from a weekly group to individual video check-ins, or the other way around.
The law and complaint details in this guide come from official Indiana state sources cited on this page. Check them directly, since rules can change.