How this guide helps
These steps are for anyone in Odessa who wants to stop smoking or vaping and is thinking about getting help from a coach, a consulting hypnotist or a group program. The directory lists independent providers. We don't check their backgrounds or run any program, so the steps include questions you can use to judge for yourself.
Step 1: Write down your reasons
Take a few minutes and list why you want to stop. Be specific: saving money for a trip, keeping up with your kids at a ball game, not stepping outside during every break at work. Keep the list on your phone. You'll use it when you talk with providers and on the hard days.
Step 2: Track a normal week
For one week, note when and where you smoke or vape. Mornings in the truck? Breaks at a job site? Evenings on the porch? This picture helps any provider tailor a plan, and it shows you which hours will need the most attention.
Step 3: Notice the rules already around you
Some of your day may already be tobacco-free.
- If you study or work at the University of Texas Permian Basin, its policy has prohibited tobacco, smoking and any smoking device on university owned or leased property since August 15, 2016. The definition includes electronic cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, and it applies to students, faculty, staff and visitors.
- If you are at Odessa College, its policy prohibits smoking, tobacco products and e-cigarettes on college property except in marked smoking areas at least 30 feet from building entrances. It covers employees, students, independent contractors and visitors.
Count those hours as a head start. Note them on your weekly picture.
Step 4: If a young person is involved
Texas law, as described on the Comptroller's tobacco enforcement page, makes it illegal for anyone younger than 21 to possess, buy, consume or accept cigarettes, e-cigarettes or other tobacco products, and it is an offense to use false proof of age. If you are helping a teenager or young adult in your home, ask providers whether they work with that age group and whether a parent can join the first visit.
Step 5: Choose a format
Decide what you are most likely to stick with:
- one-to-one coaching, in person or by video
- appointments with a consulting hypnotist
- a group that meets on a set schedule
- a mix, such as a group plus a few individual check-ins
If your work takes you out of town for days at a time, lean toward options with video or phone sessions.
Step 6: Call two or three providers
Ask each one:
- How do you structure the first few weeks?
- How many sessions do people usually book with you?
- Do you work with vaping, cigarettes and chewing tobacco?
- Are sessions available in Spanish, or in the evening?
- What are your fees, and what if I need to reschedule?
Listen for plain answers. Steer clear of anyone who promises a fixed timeline or a set number of days.
Step 7: Pick a start date
Choose a date that isn't in the middle of a high-stress week, like a big deadline or the first days of a new rotation. Tell one or two people you trust so they can check in on you.
Step 8: Prepare your spaces
Before your start date, clear lighters, ashtrays and vape gear out of your truck and home. Plan what you will do instead during the times your weekly log flagged, such as a short walk, a call to a friend, or a glass of water.
Step 9: Keep your appointments
Show up even on the days you slip. Tell your provider honestly what happened; that is what the sessions are for. If one format isn't a fit, it's fine to switch to another provider on the listings.
Step 10: Look back after a month
After four weeks, compare where you are with your first weekly log. Talk with your provider about what has changed and what to try next. Stopping smoking or vaping is often a process of several tries, and each one teaches you something. Keep your list of reasons from Step 1 nearby, update it as you go, and bring it to your next appointment so the plan stays tied to what matters to you.