Quit Smoking Programs: Classroom-based Courses

Quit smoking programs that use a classroom format generally require you to meet with others at a specific time and place for an hour or two, generally once or twice a week over a period of a few weeks.  However, some quit smoking classes use a 'one-shot' approach where you meet just once, but for several hours.  (If you're looking for info about other types of programs, you can also read about residential programs, where you live at the program site for the duration of the program, and  home study programs, where you get program materials to use in the comfort of your own home.)

More information about programs that use a classroom format is coming soon.  I plan to review two programs that provide classes nationally, including Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking,  and SmokEnders Seminars.  If you have experience with either of these programs that you'd like to share, or if you know of any other quit smoking programs that provide classes that are offered nationally, please  contact me. 

In the future I hope to develop a resource page describing quit smoking classes that are available locally, as well.  Even though I will not be able to personally review all of the smaller local programs, if there is a local resource that you know about that might help others in your area, please  contact me and let me know.  I will add it to a list of resources organized by locale. 

Allen Carr's EasyWay Seminar

EasyWay Seminars are held with about 25 people, are about 5 hours long, and cost around $425 to attend. The seminar content is based on Allen Carr's EasyWay to Quit Smoking book, which is also reviewed on this site.

Recommendations

If you're thinking you want to try this seminar, I'd definitely recommend taking a look at the book first, to make sure it makes sense to you. My personal impression of the EasyWay Method to Quit Smoking is that it is a little short on actual 'method' in the sense that you never get explicit directions on how to quit. See my comments about the EasyWay Method book for more.

SmokEnders Classes

SmokEnders (AKA Smoke Enders) has been around for 35+ years, and may be one of the most well-known and long-standing quit smoking programs out there.  They have gone from quit smoking classes exclusively to recording their classes to make a home-study version of the program.  On this page I'll talk about Smoke Enders classes.

Classroom Version

SmokEnder's classes are currently only available in New York City and Washington State, so unless you live in one of those areas, you'll probably have to go with the home study version if you want this program.

You've probably heard about SmokEnders - if you've ever heard anyone make a joke about spending hundreds of dollars to go to a program where they told you to snap your wrist with a rubber band when you felt like smoking, that came from this program.  Unfortunately, there is good evidence that punishment-oriented psychological techniques are not as effective as other techniques. 

To give credit, SmokEnders was one of the first programs to recognize that smoking was more than a 'bad habit' or even just a 'habit' combined with a physical addiction to nicotine.  In many ways, it was groundbreaking work to begin to integrate psychological techniques into the process of quitting smoking. 

Recommendations

I'm in the process of updating my assessment of this program - both the classroom version and the home study version, so if you have any recent experience with either and would be willing to provide information about your experience, please contact me.