You may have seen the recent flurry of stories about a supposed alternative to cigarette addiction called the electronic cigarette. E-butts are a mov...

I am yet to be convinced that policies such as not hiring or going as far as firing smokers is a better solution than devoting resources to helping them quit (and work).

Besides taking a lot of blood, sweat and tears, relying on self-control to change our habits may not work so well because, well, we run out of blood, sweat and tears. When our tank is empty, that habit comes rushing back with a vengeance.

This time, she couldn't seem to quit -- or didn't want to. So a friend of mine from out West -- where all new trends seem to develop first -- told me that she'd bought her husband what are now commonly called e-cigarettes, and he stopped smoking.

If you're gung ho on quitting cold turkey, make sure you've got plenty of gas in the tank (and can keep filling it up). Common signs of an empty tank are summed up in the acronym HALT (Hungry Angry Lonely Tired). Also, if going cold turkey has failed you before, or if it sounds particularly painful, try other methods.

So being dropped on a deserted island may help you quit, but you may have to be ready to stay there . . . permanently.

I had a patient who had come in to my clinic to quit smoking. He was smoking 30 cigarettes a day and had tried to quit before but to no avail. On the first night of our smoking cessation class, I taught him a simple practice.

Quitting smoking isn't just personal -- public health spending and policies help take down the fences to healthier behavior, and we haven't taken down many for smoking at all.

It's been 15 years since I stopped smoking, and it's still a source of pride for me. I've gained so much personally by seeing what I can accomplish. I've spent some of the best years of my life already as a non-smoker, and I'm confident some of the best are still to come.

Dr. James H. Berry, DO, medical director of Chestnut Ridge Inpatient Acute Dual Diagnosis Program and assistant professor at the West Virginia Health Science Center's Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, answers a few short questions for smokers.

While adult smoking rates in the general population were cut in half between 1965 and 2004, the ratio of heavy and dependent smokers who meet the psychiatric definition of "nicotine dependence" is steadily rising.

More than 45 million people in the United States smoke -- and while we all know by now that lighting up can increase your risk of coronary heart probl...

Feel the urge to reach for a cigarette? Hop on the treadmill. A new review of studies shows that exercise really does help smokers trying to qui...

I often see patients who want to quit smoking. Many of these people fear what life will be like without the cigarettes. "Will I put on weight? Will I sleep at night? If I can't smoke, then how will I handle stress?"

A nurse shouldn't smell like she just smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. If my nose wrinkles at the foul odor of stale smoke on one of the hospital caregivers, imagine how the patient struggling with nausea must feel as the same nurse leans over them to listen to their chest.

It's not easy to quit smoking. Over 20 percent of Americans still smoke, and nearly 75 percent of smokers are considered highly dependent on nicotine....

First, it was the gory cigarette warning labels. Now, could stop-smoking text messages be next? A new study in the journal The Lancet shows that s...

My quitting strategy was to keep my mind and body busy all the time, in order to keep my thoughts of cigarettes at bay, but new science now suggests that the worst thing smokers can do is try not to think about cigarettes.

Medicare is underwriting up to eight counseling sessions per year for smokers who are struggling to quit. The naysayer's response is "what a waste." However, research and clinical experience tell quite an opposite story.

Most people who are addicted to smoking need help to quit. There are programs to help, but unfortunately many are not getting the help they need because health insurance plans don't cover treatments.