Ria Coleman knew it was time to quit smoking cigarettes when the habit started to affect her ability to participate in one of her favourite pastimes: singing.  

"I couldn't hold my breath to hold a note the way I could before," she said from Fort Smith. "I couldn't sing anymore." 

Coleman, now 55, began smoking when she was a girl. She picked up the habit from her older sister and stuck with it for some 40 years before quitting in summer of 2022. 

"Towards the end, I was chain-smoking," she said. 

It's no secret that quitting smoking is very difficult for some people, and there are many different approaches to doing so. Coleman, who works in wellness with the NWT Metis Nation, employed one of the more uncommon methods of quitting: hypnosis. 

"Here in Fort Smith, my past employer's son was doing hypnosis for quitting smoking and various other things," she said. 

While hypnosis therapy may not work for every smoker, it was a resounding success for Coleman, who was able to quit cold turkey after the sessions. 

"I tried [hypnosis] and I've never smoked a cigarette again," she said. "I never craved it again either. I do still participate in pipe ceremony, but I no longer crave smoking, even though I participate in pipe ceremony."

Coleman noticed many benefits when she finally gave up cigarettes, including an improved ability to sing, which had been her aspiration. 

"I'm singing a lot better," she said. "I'm not coughing and out of breath the way I used to be.

"I no longer smell like cigarette smoke... I'm very happy."

Having quit smoking herself, and having experienced the many benefits of doing so, Coleman encourages other smokers around the NWT to try to drop the habit, whether they employ hypnosis therapy or another method. 

"Overcome the fear of not smoking," she said when asked what advice she'd offer to smokers who are considering quitting. "For some reason, I had a big fear of quitting because what do I do now?

"It's all about embracing a lifestyle change and doing your inner work," she added. "If you are going through withdrawals and stuff like that, try to look at the positive things in your life and focus on those instead of thinking, 'Oh my God, my body wants a cigarette,' and [thinking about] the panicking and the anxiety. Just make the switch and fill your life with other positive things than smoking because it is a lifestyle change." 

Some people may struggle to drop the habit, she acknowledges, but the benefits are well worth the effort, in her view.

"I feel proud of myself and I love myself more," she said. "I am so grateful that I can be a great role model for my children and my grandchildren."

National Non-Smoking Week in Canada is marked from Jan. 19-25, including Weedless Wednesday on Jan. 22.