Step 1: Notice where you already can't smoke
Start with a simple map of your day. Mark the places where smoking is already off the table. Louisiana's R.S. 40:1291.11 bars smoking in public buildings, in schools, and in public places and enclosed areas of workplaces, so your office, your children's school and most indoor public spaces in Shreveport are likely on that list. The statute does exempt some places, including bars, outdoor patios, retail tobacco businesses and designated areas in gaming facilities, while still requiring restaurants inside gaming facilities to stay smoke-free.
If you spend time at LSU Health Shreveport on Kings Highway, add its whole property to the map. Its CM-10 memo says that as of July 1, 2010, smoking has been barred on all properties the Health Sciences Center owns or leases, for employees, students and visitors alike.
Seeing those gaps on paper shows you how much of your day already runs without a cigarette or a vape.
Step 2: Track your own pattern for a week
For seven days, jot down each time you smoke or vape, where you are and what was happening just before. A note on your phone is enough. Look for clusters: the drive home across the river, the break after a tense meeting, the walk to the sidewalk outside a smoke-free campus.
Step 3: Pick a start date
Choose a date in the next few weeks that is not in the middle of a major deadline, a move or a holiday. Put it on your calendar and tell one or two people you trust.
A weekday can be easier than a weekend for some people, because work and a smoke-free building give the day a shape. Others prefer a quiet Saturday at home. Think back over your log from Step 2 and pick the kind of day that looked calmest. If your schedule changes from week to week, as it does for shift workers, choose the start of a stretch of days you know well.
Step 4: Decide what kind of support you want
The listings on this site include three kinds of providers:
- Stop-smoking coaches who work with you one-on-one.
- Consulting hypnotists who offer hypnosis sessions.
- Group programs that meet on a schedule.
This directory does not provide any of these services itself and does not check providers' backgrounds. It introduces you to independent providers. Think about whether you prefer talking alone with one person, sitting with a group, or trying hypnosis, and whether you want to meet in person in Shreveport or over video.
Step 5: Contact two or three providers
Ask each the same questions so you can compare:
- What happens at the first meeting?
- How many meetings do you usually plan, and how far apart?
- Do you work with vaping as well as smoking?
- Where do you meet, and is there parking?
- What is the full cost, and what is your cancellation rule?
Write down what each one says, and note how each one made you feel during the call. Feeling comfortable talking to a person matters when you will be telling them about slips. Be cautious with anyone who tells you exactly how things will go for you.
Step 6: Prepare your surroundings
In the days before your start date, clear out lighters, ashtrays and spare vape cartridges from your car, your desk and your home. If a smoke-free workplace or campus has been forcing you outside anyway, think about what you will do with those break minutes instead, such as a short walk, a call or a drink of water.
Step 7: Line up help for the hard moments
Tell the people you live or work with how they can help. Some people want a walking partner at their usual smoking times. Others just want no pressure. You can also raise stopping smoking or vaping with your own doctor at any point.
Step 8: Keep your appointments
Attend the meetings you scheduled, even on days you feel unsure. If you slip, tell the provider at the next session rather than skipping it. Slips are common and are worth talking through.
Step 9: Review after a month
After four weeks, look back at your first-week log and compare. Which triggers have eased, and which are still strong? Decide with your provider whether to continue, change the schedule or try a different format, such as moving from one-on-one meetings to a group.