There are a few different things a person can do to kick the habit of smoking. Some try going “cold turkey,” thinking he or she can stop smoking altogether, while there are some who try to quit smoking in other ways.

Cyndra Krogen, health educator for alcohol, tobacco and other drugs at Sacramento State, said students who want to quit smoking can explore different methods.

One option, Krogen said, is using products that have been proven to show success in a double-blind study.

“There’s the gum, the nicotine patch, as well as a nasal spray,” she said. “Those things are actually marketed and have been shown to help increase someone’s success to quit smoking. We also give away quit kits.”

Krogen said the Student Health Center offers free quit kits as well as one-on-one tobacco cessation counseling where a student can make an unlimited amount of appointments.

“The quit kits are about 35 percent effective, but that’s in comparison to community college,” she said. “A foundation called Stand donated the kits and then they compiled all of the college data and found a 35 percent improvement.”

Another option is the electronic cigarette. The e-cigarette looks just like an actual cigarette. When puffing on the e-cigarette, the end lights up like a normal cigarette would, but when exhaling the “smoke,” water vapors are released into the air.

The e-cigarette is composed of three parts: a nicotine cartridge, a chamber, and a smart chip with a lithium battery, according to Smoking Everywhere’s official website.

Krogen said the e-cigarette isn’t the most effective way to quit smoking.

“From what I understand, the e-cigarette is not necessary supposed to be a smoking sensation need,” she said. “It’s supposed to be a substitute behavior for people who either don’t like the second hand smoke or who are in situations where it’s not easy for them to smoke.”

Krogen said that as of 2004, about 8 percent of Sacramento State students smoke cigarettes regularly 30 days out of the month.

She also said that there are a lot more short-term and long-term effects than people think.

“Long-term effects involve lung cancer, potential emphysema, premature aging, immune system issues, and chronic bronchitis,” she said. “Most people who have chronic health issues, who smoke regularly, their doctors do tend to believe that the smoking either caused it or has exasperated it.”

Krogen said short-terms effects include shortness of breath, the unpleasant smell of cigarette smoke, compromised immune system, irritability and withdrawal.

On top of these effects, 159,217 people died from lung cancer in 2005 and an estimated 196,687 people were diagnosed with lung cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official website.

Felipe Hernandez, junior Spanish major and smoker for four years, said he has tried nearly everything out there on the market and the most effective for him is the patch.

“I definitely would recommend the patch. It has been the most helpful for me. I still have cravings for a cigarette, but it’s not as bad as it was,” Hernandez said. “I’ve literally tried everything else and it doesn’t work for me.”

John Tamblyn, professor of psychology and health science, believes the e-cigarette is a poor substitute for wanting to quit smoking.

“I think the industry that’s manufactured the e-cigarettes is hoping that a person wants to seize in the smoking of cigarettes and will use this product as an alternative and will want to wean himself or herself off it,” he said. “I think in many cases they will be a substitute but not a very good substitute for a regular cigarette.”

Tamblyn said there is just something about smoking a cigarette, socially, that people can never give up.

“Part of what attracts people to smoking cigarettes is the whole ceremony of lighting up. People like the smoke itself, the ceremony of taking a cigarette and putting it in one’s mouth and withdrawing it and blowing the smoke out,” he said. “So for some people it’s difficult to even break that let alone the addictive properties of nicotine.”

As for what he thinks is the most effective way to quit smoking, Tamblyn said living healthy works the best.

“I think people would be much better off being well, exercise, eat properly, get out in nature, do some reading to get your mind going and get away from putting chemicals into your bodies,” he said.

Tamblyn said he would not recommend the e-cigarette to anyone wanting to kick the habit because at almost $100 for one, it is too expensive and the addictiveness is still there.

Kelsey Reeve, junior accounting major, agrees that the device is overpriced.

“I was surfing the web a few months ago and came across the e-cigarette, so I read about it and I think it’s a total waste of money. Almost $100 for a device that doesn’t guarantee you will actually quit smoking,” Reeve said. “The Health Center is giving away kits for free. To me, that seems like the obvious decision if you really want to quit.”