Lomen, who smoked a pack per week, gave up the habit in early January. She said five other ex-smokers, some of whom smoked much more and much longer than her, played a pivotal role.

Judy Lomen, never a heavy smoker, gave up the habit in early January. She said she has received encouragement and support from five other women in Fort Liard. - Derek Neary/NNSL photo

"They helped a lot. I'm thankful for them. They encouraged me to quit smoking," she said.

Lomen, who is upgrading her education through Aurora College, said she decided to quit smoking for many reasons.

"I'd get too tired and it cost too much. If you want to chop wood or walk a little ways, you get tired," she explained.

"And plus my kids, I don't want them to get into that bad habit."

Her craving for nicotine is limited, she noted, but she sometimes chews gum as a substitute.

With the backing of her friends, she said she's confident there will be no more cigarettes for her.

"I'm kicking the habit," she said. "It's better to stay healthy than kill myself."

Margaret Thom, school and community counsellor in Fort Providence, said that support groups are very helpful to those with addictions.

"Most times, with any kind of addiction, people feel very alone. They think, Am I the only one on the face of the earth that's going through this?" Thom explained. "In actual fact they aren't. They just need to get together and come to a common ground."

If there's no formal support group in the community, that's no excuse to quit trying, she added.

"I think if the desire is there to quit, you will put the support network in place for yourself," said Thom. "You'll take that initiative to find out who has quit and how they've done it, how they're doing ... and hook up with them. Then take part in activities that are smoke-free."