It’s the end of the year, so these commercials are showing up a lot more often:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyugq5smCAw]

Like a lot of ex-smokers, I tried a lot of different methods of quitting smoking before something finally took about four years ago. Patches never did much for me, though I do fondly remember the pleasantly woozy buzz you can get from smoking on the patch, something I did numerous times and has probably in itself shaved more years off my life than my decade-long pack-a-day habit. (What finally worked for me? I bought a house. There’s nothing like assuming boatloads of debt to put all the crap you waste money on into clear focus.)

All of which is to say I’m not a particularly good source for advice on how to quit smoking, but local artist Jackie Hoysted has a helpful list of tips today on her Ashes to Ashes blog. Hoysted, the subject of an August City Paper story, has been quit since July, documenting her withdrawal on the blog and in her artwork; you can see her coffin-nail-inspired pieces here.