Good intentions up in smoke

(NBCNC) - The New Year begins with cheers, a kiss if you're lucky.

If you're a smoker it often means a renewed commitment to stop smoking.

A former smoker herself, Dr. Cheryl Healton and her team at the American Legacy Foundation surveyed 1,500 smokers.

Of those who were making a resolution for 2013, a third said it'd be to quit smoking, but without help most of those good intentions go up in smoke within a week.

If it was a New Year's resolution, that's today.

"Not enough people use known tried and true methods. Lots of people try to just do it on their own instead of getting help," says Dr. Healton.

Help begins with talking to a doctor who can recommend nicotine replacement products or prescription medications.

It also requires re-learning life without cigarettes.

"You have to kind of map out when you're used to having cigarettes and get work-arounds for all those times so that you reduce the kind of cravings that are associated with it," Dr. Healton says.

If you've relapsed since New Year's Day, you're not alone.

Some smokers must try as many as 11 times before they succeed.