It’s just that easy – and just that difficult. Both my parents smoked Kents for years but stopped while I was still a kid. My psychologist-father subsequently devised a smoking-prevention program that involved trapping the kids in the back seat of his Ford Falcon while he puffed on an ultra-stinky cigar. Opening the window wasn’t an option, because it happened to be 20 degrees below zero.

The old man figured that if the smell made us sick enough, we’d never take it up. To his credit, he barely flinched the day I came home from college and asked him for a cigar.

My own kids were grizzled anti-smoking zealots by the time they were 3. “Mommy,” my knee-high daughter said in her toddler voice as we waited for a flight at the Moscow airport, “that man’s going to die.”

She was talking about one of the herd of foreigners chain-sucking the world’s most vile cigarettes, with a festive aroma of goat poop and old leaves from the lawn. The smoker, a German gentleman, chuckled indulgently and patted her adorable American head vigorously enough to loosen her tiny American teeth.

Smokers are encouraged to use New Year's Day to set a quit date and plan for it.

Europeans used to consider us wild-eyed paranoids because we insist that our kids wear seat belts and bicycle helmets and not smoke cigarettes or frolic in rush-hour traffic. However, Italy has banned smoking in bars and restaurants, on the heels of similar laws in Ireland and Norway.

Smoking bans – essentially expansions of existing indoor clean-air laws – and price increases for cigarettes are among the most effective ways to keep people from smoking or get them to stop, experts say.

“They help in motivating a smoker to quit, and they’re a huge motivator for younger people to keep them from starting,” says Robin Mermelstein, a University of Illinois psychology professor who specializes in smoking cessation.

Making smoking as expensive and inconvenient as possible really works, says Karen DeLeeuw, director of the state Tobacco Education and Prevention Partnership at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

“As you begin to be put in situations where you have to go for long periods of time without a cigarette, where getting a cigarette involves a lot more effort, those become more reasons in a pile of reasons to quit,” she says.

Try nicotine replacement alternatives

Nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT, works best if you use it at the beginning of an attempt to quit. Smokers who are pregnant or have heart disease should check with a doctor before using NRT.

Nicotine patches: These deliver a measured dose of nicotine through the skin. The 16-hour patch works well for light-to-average tobacco users and is less likely than the 24-hour patch to cause side effects such as skin irritation, racing heartbeat, sleep problems and headache. It doesn’t deliver nicotine during the night, so it’s not helpful for early-morning withdrawal symptoms.

The 24-hour patch provides a steady dose of nicotine and helps with early-morning withdrawal.

Depending on body size, most tobacco users should start using a full-strength patch daily for a month, then use a weaker patch for another month. The patch should be applied in the morning somewhere on the body between the neck and the waist. The Food and Drug Administration recommends using the patch for three to five months, but some studies have shown that using it for eight weeks or less is just as effective.

Nicotine gum: This is a fast-acting form of replacement that can be bought over the counter. It’s designed to be chewed slowly for up to 30 minutes, and no more than 20 pieces should be used in a day.

Nicotine gum usually is recommended for one to three months, but long-term dependence is a possible drawback. Research shows that up to 20 percent of gum users who quit smoking continue using the gum for a year or longer. Although the maximum recommended length of use is six months, continuing to use the gum is likely to be safer than going back to smoking.

Combination patch and gum: Using the nicotine patch and nicotine gum together hasn’t been widely researched, but studies look promising. Smokers in most of these studies use 24-hour patches and supplement with up to four pieces of nicotine gum a day. The FDA has yet to approve this combo.

Nicotine nasal spray: Smokers report good success with this prescription-only option, which is easy to use and immediately relieves withdrawal symptoms. The FDA recommends that the spray be prescribed for three-month periods and should not be used for longer than six months.

Tips on how to quit

Quitting works best when you are prepared. Before you quit, take these five important START steps:

¢ Set a quit date. Pick a date within the next two weeks to quit. That gives you enough time to get ready, but it’s not so long that you’ll lose your drive to quit. Think about choosing a special day, like your birthday or anniversary or a holiday. If you smoke at work, quit on the weekend or during a day off. That way you’ll already be cigarette-free when you return.

¢ Tell family, friends and co-workers that you plan to quit, and let them know how they can help you. Ask everyone to understand your change in mood. Remind them that the worst will be over within two weeks. Tell your doctor and pharmacist you’re quitting; nicotine changes how some drugs work, so you might need to change your prescriptions after you quit.

¢ Anticipate and plan for the challenges you’ll face while quitting. Most people who go back to smoking do it within three months. You might be more tempted when you’re stressed or feeling down. You also should expect feelings of withdrawal, but remember that they’ll pass in time.

¢ Remove all tobacco products, matches and ashtrays from your home, car and office. Clean your drapes and clothes. Shampoo your car. Have your dentist clean your teeth to get rid of smoking stains. Don’t save one pack “just in case.” Don’t switch to light or low-tar cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, pipes or herbal cigarettes.

¢ Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit. Going cold turkey isn’t your only choice. There are prescription options and over-the-counter nicotine replacements.

Source: www.smokefree.gov