EVERYWHERE — As we look forward to the spring season, many of our New Year’s resolutions have come and gone. Studies confirm these resolutions often fail after a few weeks, yet the spring season offers hope to try again.

The organizations behind state quitlines remind all tobacco users to get a fresh start and try to quit. Highly trained quit coaches are available seven days a week at the numbers below. They’ll help you develop quit plans, navigating triggers and explain stop-smoking medications.

Quitting with no plan or “going cold turkey” rarely leads to sustained tobacco-free living, according to a news release from the New York Quitline.

The 2020 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking Cessation, in fact, cites only a success rate of seven to eight percent following such an approach. Becoming tobacco-free takes planning, willpower and assistance. The following three suggestions represent just a few things to consider in preparation for a spring quit-attempt.

 First, commit to a new lifestyle by removing tobacco accessories such as lighters and ashtrays. Successful quitters often find they need to remove reminders and/or refrain from particular places or people, at least for the first few weeks of quitting.

 Second, conduct a deep clean of your home and/or car. For increased odds of becoming tobacco-free, a deep clean of areas with lingering tobacco smell will boost one’s ability to tackle cravings. Cleaner environments with invigorating scents offer tobacco users a fresh start to help break their dependence.

 Third, investigate nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) medications to improve your chances for becoming and staying tobacco-free. Making behavior changes combined with NRT plays a major role in tobacco-free success. Tobacco users should consult a healthcare professional as well as the Quitline’s coaches to determine which NRT medications, such as patches, gum and/or lozenges, may be best suited to treat the particular level of tobacco dependence. When used as instructed and in combination, NRT medications can double or triple the odds of becoming and staying tobacco-free.

There are additional resources at cdc.gov/tips, nysmokefree.com, and https://bit.ly/3759qX2.  

In New York, call 866/NYQUITS. In PA, call 800/QUITNOW.