Alex Reyme has been cutting down. He's already turned a pack every two days into a pack every two weeks. The film studies sophomore says he plans to eventually quit smoking completely. He tends to not buy packs for himself anymore, and only smokes in social situations.

Reyme said his motivation to quit is twofold.

"At first it was getting to be a lot of money spent, and I also wanted to try to improve some aspects of my health," he said. "I tried quitting cold turkey and it didn't work so I've committed myself to cutting down."

Recent years have seen stronger Surgeon General's warnings, more public service announcements and increased nonsmoking areas. New technologies have also brought about more methods to help smokers who want to quit reach their goals.

According to www.tobaccofree.org, about 95 percent of smokers who try to quit without any help fail. Fortunately there are a lot of aids available. The different methods can be broken up into four basic categories: over-the-counter aids, prescription aids, counseling and group programs and nontraditional treatments.

Most treatments available help smokers deal with the body's physical cravings for nicotine, but counseling and group programs focus on both the physical addiction and the psychological dependency.

Sharolyn Gonzalez, the Oncology Outreach Manager for the Sparrow Regional Cancer Center, said treatments that help the body get through the physical addiction are helpful because once people are past that, they can begin to change their habits.

"You have to get through the addiction, but that learned behavior is what you have to change," she said. "Smoking one cigarette, people have their hand going up and down to their mouth 20 times — that means 200 times a day they are practicing putting that cigarette up to their mouth."

Gonzalez said smoking is a psychological addiction just as much as it is a physical one.

"I am a former smoker, and when I quit it was probably a good nine months before I got in my car, started it up and didn't push down the cigarette lighter," she said. "That is why it's so hard to quit. People feel like it's their best friend and people feel like they've lost something. I certainly felt that way when I was trying to quit and in time it fades away."

Over-the-counter aids

These aids include patches, gum and lozenges. These aids help smokers quit by gradually releasing nicotine into the body either through the skin or into the mouth. These methods are known as nicotine replacement therapy and help to reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Users can gradually eliminate the body's cravings.

Olin Health Center and the University Physician's Office, located in the same building, offer programs to help students and MSU faculty, staff, retirees and their immediate families quit smoking. Both programs have incorporated the online resource QuitNet, www.quitnet.com, into their programs. When potential quitters sign up for QuitNet, they can buy over-the-counter smoking cessation aids at a reduced rate.

Prescription options

One of these choices is pills, which usually contain bupropion. Bupropion is primarily used for treating depression, but has recently been discovered to be effective in reducing nicotine cravings. Additional prescription options are nicotine inhalers and nasal spray; both methods deliver nicotine to the body instantly.

There are physicians at Olin who can prescribe these drugs. Patients should indicate interest in prescription smoking cessation aids when making an appointment so they can be referred to a doctor who is able to prescribe them.

Moral support

Counseling programs are available to smokers in numerous forms. There are hotlines you can call to talk to a counselor, various groups and Nicotine Anonymous, a 12-step program.

Lansing's Sparrow Hospital holds Nicotine Anonymous programs weekly at the St. Lawrence Campus, 1210 W. Saginaw St. in Lansing.

Olin is there to work with students who want information about smoking and/or quitting. In addition to QuitNet, Olin offers an "open door" policy for students interested in talking to someone. Students can just come into Olin and receive counseling or information on smoking. There is also a Smoker's Quit Kit with more information students can pick up and take with them.

Rebecca Allen, the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) health educator at Olin, said many students have different smoking patterns than adults who have been smoking for longer.

"We have students that smoke in a way we would call an addictive pattern, but more students smoke in a social pattern," she said. "Some people continue to be social smokers and stop when they leave college, but it still causes health problems and I wouldn't bank on just stopping."

Allen said Olin wants to advocate the fact the people can quit and it's the most important health decision a person can make. She said Olin is available to make a program to fit individual needs.

"We know people who believe they can quit smoking are more likely to quit," she said. "Unfortunately so many smoking cessation programs emphasize how hard it is to quit and how much you'll want a cigarette. People who are quitting need to understand it gets better and people can quit — they do every day."

Jonathon Novello, counselor and emotional wellness consultant, heads up the counterpart to Olin's services for students through the University Physician's Office and a program called Healthy U, which is available for MSU faculty, staff and retirees. Healthy U offers the same services as Olin, but with more formal counseling sessions and group chats.

Novello said there are options ranging from mere information to one-on-one "quit coaching."

"I like to get people at any level of decision making they're at," he said. "Even if they're just contemplating."

Other options

Smokers who have not found success with mainstream aids can turn to alternative treatments. Centers around the country administer electric shock treatment that works as a deterrent for smoking. Another alternative treatment for addiction is acupuncture.

Debra Farrell, a doctoral candidate in rehabilitation counselor education and teaching assistant at MSU, is an acupuncture detoxification specialist. Farrell is trained in the five needle protocol, which corresponds to the five points on the ear that connect to the body's detoxification organs: the liver, lungs, kidneys, sympathetic nerve and the shen men (or the "spirit gate").

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese treatment that has been around for about 2,500 years, Farrell said. The insertion of acupuncture needles unblocks the body's energy that has been disrupted by nicotine or whatever else the person is addicted to. Through the release of the energy, or chi, the body can regain its balance and no longer crave the substance.

Farrell said acupuncture is Eastern medicine and can be very effective when used in conjunction with other Western methods.

"You have to believe it works and you have to be comfortable with the invisible forces of healing," she said.

"It's not observable and measurable as much as what Western medicine would like in order to rely upon it but it really works."