M Ridzwan

Most smokers I know want to quit but find it difficult to do so. It is one of the fastest ways to burn hard-earned money. Not to mention loved ones that suffer as a result of puffing habits.

People looking to kick the habit have a variety of ways to do so. There are support groups for ex-smokers, counseling sessions for hopeless addicts and even tobacco flavoured gum to help smokers ease away the cravings slowly and painlessly. But did you know that your phone could help you quit?

If you or a loved one is trying to quit smoking all you may need is a mobile phone loaded with the right juice, and a little bit of discipline.

There are several good software out there that you can load onto your mobile to help you kick the habit. Unlike those that run on the computer, your mobile phone is constantly there by your side to remind you of your battle against the stick.

A good Symbian application that you may want to try is My Last Cigarette 1.0 from Mastersoft Mobile Solutions. The software has been on trial with several hundred users for the last couple of years in Europe. Interestingly, My Last Cigarette has been proven to help at least 60% of its users off their fatal habit – a very respectable figure when compared with other methods such as tobacco gum and peer counseling.

My Last Cigarette works on the “elimination via moderation” principle. What this means is that a smoker’s body cannot be suddenly devoid of nicotine. That may end up increasing the craving for a puff. What is needed is a gradual reduction and the software will help you do exactly this by calculating the number of sticks that you should reduce by in a given day.

All you need to do is enter your personal details such as your age, weight and smoking frequency. The software will then calculate a quitting regime that should be painless and effortless for you. The number of sticks will dwindle down slowly until you can finally be free of the stick forever.

Based upon years of medical research into the harmful effects of smoking, the application includes a nifty meter that will show you how much money you have saved on cigarette costs since you started on the quit regime. Now that’s a handy feature. After all, money is one of the greatest motivator! The software can be downloaded for a free trial at www.handago.com.

Another useful quit smoking application can be found in the form of Stop Smoking for Symbian. The application works in 2 stages.

Stage 1: For the first 7 days, users will continue their normal smoking patterns which will be recorded on the applications database by pressing the “Smoke” Button. The information collected is then used to develop a personalized withdrawal program and determine the number of days in which the user can quit. Users then enter Stage 2 - the Quit Stage. In this Stage, the user can only smoke when the application allows. The idea is to disrupt your smoking pattern and to gradually increase the interval between smokes. The application lets you know when you can smoke. Stop Smoking is available from www.my-symbian.com.

Of course all this will only work if you actually follow the instructions given by the software. Unfortunately discipline is something that you cannot download.