How to use this plan
This plan is for anyone in Richmond who has decided to stop smoking or vaping and wants to find a provider to help. Go through the steps in order, but feel free to spend longer on any one of them. There is no deadline here other than the one you set.
Step 1: Pick a start window
Choose a two- or three-week window when you can give this some attention. Avoid weeks with a big move, an exam or a major deadline if you can. Mark the window on your calendar so it feels real.
Step 2: Map your day
For three ordinary days, jot down every time you smoke or vape: the time, where you were, who you were with and what you were doing. Patterns usually jump out quickly. Maybe it is the drive in, the mid-morning break or the hour after dinner.
Step 3: Learn where smoke-free rules already help
State law already does some of the work for you. The Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act, found at sections 15.2-2820 through 15.2-2833 of the Code of Virginia, includes section 15.2-2825, which says no person shall smoke in any restaurant in the Commonwealth, with exceptions such as unenclosed outdoor areas and private clubs. Both sources are cited below. When you plan meals out in your first weeks, an indoor table at a restaurant puts the law on your side.
If you spend time at the University of Richmond, its Smoking and Vaping Policy, also cited below, bars smoking and vaping across university buildings and vehicles and bans smoking within 25 feet of a building's exterior. Those limits can become part of your plan instead of an obstacle.
Step 4: Decide what kind of support suits you
Think about whether you would rather meet one-on-one, join a group, or try sessions with a consulting hypnotist. Consider format too: in person, video or a mix. Write down your first and second choices.
Step 5: Build a short list
Use the directory to find two or three independent providers serving Richmond that match your choices. Note where they meet, the hours they offer and whether they see people by video.
Step 6: Talk to each provider
Ask each one the same questions so you can compare: how sessions run, how many they usually plan, what support they give between meetings, what it costs in total and how they handle a slip. Ask about their background and training. If anyone makes promises about how it will go, move on.
Step 7: Check with your own doctor if needed
If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take any medicines, speak with your own doctor or pharmacist before starting. Your provider is not the person to advise on that.
Step 8: Rehearse your hardest moments
Go back to the map you made in Step 2 and pick the three moments you expect to be hardest. For each one, write a short plan: what you will do with your hands, where you will stand, what you will drink instead, who you might text. If your trigger is the drive in, try a different route or a podcast you save only for that drive. If it is the break at work, plan to spend it somewhere you would not normally smoke, such as an indoor break room. Reading the plan aloud once or twice makes it easier to reach for when the moment comes.
Step 9: Prepare your space
Before your first session, clear lighters, ashtrays or vape supplies out of your car, your desk and your pockets. Tell one or two people what you are doing and ask them for specific help, such as taking a walk with you at your usual break time.
Step 10: Show up and take notes
Attend your sessions and write down one idea you will try before the next one. Bring your notes from Step 2 so the provider can help you plan for your hardest moments.
Step 11: Plan for slips
A slip does not erase your effort. Decide ahead of time what you will do if it happens: who you will call, what you will do instead next time, and when you will talk with your provider about it.
Step 12: Set a follow-up
Before your last scheduled session, agree on a check-in a few weeks later. Many people find that having one more conversation on the calendar keeps them steady.
About this directory
Stop Smoking Pros lists independent providers in and around Richmond. It does not run sessions or programs and does not check credentials. You choose whom to contact.