Today is the Great American Smokeout, and the American Cancer Society is encouraging smokers to quit for one day.

If that seems like a daunting task, a local program is available to help.

Since early summer, Sharon Regional Health System's Lung Center in Hermitage has offered free counseling to smokers who want to quit.

"I think there's a real need for it," said Kimberly Hunchuk, director of the center, smoking cessation counselor and member of the Mercer County Tobacco Coalition. "People won't spend money on counseling instead of cigarettes."

Smokers can be referred to the Lung Center by their doctors, or they can walk in on their own. Anyone can take advantage of the service.

The center has three respiratory therapists, two of whom are certified smoking-cessation counselors, and Internet access to sites such as www.quitnet.org or the American Lung Association's Freedom from Smoking site at www.ffsonline.org.

Counselors can also supply clients with nicotine patches or gum. Ms. Hunchuk said a medication called Zyban can be used with nicotine-replacements. Smokers can take Zyban, which controls withdrawal symptoms without giving the body nicotine, seven to 10 days before their targeted quit date, then add nicotine replacements, she said.

Most important of all, she said, a smoker can receive one-on-one counseling, literature and support. The counselors use what they call a "three-prong approach."

"We ask, advise and assist," Ms. Hunchuk said. "Most of the time, the first time I see someone a lot of my job is to prepare them to quit. Maybe they've tried patches or gum and each gadget didn't work."

Forty percent of smokers who use the three-prong approach quit smoking for good, Ms. Hunchuk said.

"The quit rate used to be 10 percent and that was good," she said. "Now four out of 10 people are quitting. That's excellent."

Most smokers started their habit when they were kids, Ms. Hunchuk said, adding that smokers say one of the biggest reasons they can't quit is stress.

"I have them take a deep cleansing breath if they're stressed ... you can feel the tension run out of your body," she said.

With the first puff of a cigarette, a smoker's heart rate goes up, oxygen levels go down and blood pressure elevates.

"None of that is relaxing," she said. "They do get a hit of nicotine, but they feel relaxed with the first drag because of the deep cleansing breath. It's so powerful."

Ms. Hunchuk said the first thing she does with smokers is talk to them about their habit. She then sends them home with a "Cigarette Rating Sheet," on which they are supposed to record the time, date, what they are doing and how they are feeling when they want a cigarette. They then have to rate their craving from one to five, one being "Got to Have One ... Now!" and five being "I Just Lit One Without Even Realizing It."

Ms. Hunchuk said keeping a rating sheet has two goals:

"It's started to send a signal to the brain that it's a hassle ... not a pleasant thing," she said. "The second thing, with the rating sheet, it helps them determine their worst times."

She said sometimes it's necessary to change a whole morning routine for a smoker accustomed to the first cigarette after waking up. Some may have to switch to another brand of coffee because it may not taste the same without a cigarette.

Ms. Hunchuk said she also tells her clients to make the cigarette habit more awkward.

All of those exercises still allow the smoker to smoke, but they try to minimize the pleasure of smoking, Ms. Hunchuk said.

Ms. Hunchuk also teaches delay tactics, like drinking water or walking up a flight of stairs when a craving strikes.

An important part of quitting smoking is behaving like a nonsmoker by sitting in the nonsmoking section in restaurants and not carrying cigarettes, Ms. Hunchuk said.