By Peggy O'Farrell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Regina Friend gave up cigarettes when she learned her mother-in-law had lung cancer.

Jim Meyers quit when he realized how awful it made him feel.

The former smokers will be empathetic when millions of Americans put down their cigarettes Thursday for the Great American Smokeout. Organizers hope taking a break from tobacco for a day will convince smokers that they can give it up for good.

Their advice: Prepare mentally and physically for the battle ahead. And get help - a class, nicotine patches, hypnosis - if you need it.

Quitting was so hard for Mr. Meyers that he stays away from cigarettes just so he won't have to go through giving them up again. "If I want a cigarette today, I think about that first week," says the 59-year-old Anderson Township man.

Both he and Mrs. Friend, 38, of Lawrenceburg, were longtime smokers who made several attempts to quit. This was Mr. Meyers' third time. "I believe it will be my last," he says.

Mrs. Friend used nicotine gum and Wellbutrin, an antidepressant often prescribed to help smokers keep calm while they're trying to quit, to kick the habit.

"I think you should take advantage of the things that are out there to help you quit, rather than going through all the withdrawal symptoms," she says.

Mr. Meyers went "cold turkey," but he did take a "Fresh Start" smoking cessation class through the American Cancer Society. The American Lung Association also offers smoking cessation classes and hypnosis sessions.

Mr. Meyers owns a construction supply business and travels on sales calls. But when he decided to give up cigarettes, he canceled his sales calls for two weeks because he knew how awful his mood would be.

"There's no snap of the fingers or saying, `Click your heels three times and quit smoking.' You have to have the desire and the ability to start seeing the advantages of not smoking," he says. "One guy I know told me, `Every day I quit smoking until I get up again.' "

Try these tips from the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society:

Set a date to stop.

Identify a coping strategy.

Don't give up after the first relapse. Most people make two to four attempts, or more, before they're successful.

Ask your doctor for help.

Consider using medication.

For information, call the American Cancer Society at 891-1600 or the American Lung Association at 985-3990.