Breaking the Habit of Smoking

Working to quit smoking is one of the hardest things that many people ever do
in their life. The reasons that it is so difficult typically vary. The one
reason that is most often cited is the habit of smoking itself is extremely
hard to break. The task then becomes trying to break the habit, and instead
give yourself a much healthier habit to hang onto. After all, it took you a
while to get into the habit of smoking so reason stands that it will take a
while to break the habit.

If you are determined to quit smoking, you have made an impressive start.
However, if you have decided to quit on your own, you are doing even better.
Sounds strange does it? You would be surprised at just how many people "decide"
to quit smoking by being informed by their doctor, spouse, parent, sibling or
friend that they will be quitting. In order to successfully quit smoking for
good you need to decide for yourself to quit. If you have actually made this
decision on your own, you are doing an amazing job. If you are letting someone
push you into quitting you are just setting yourself up for headaches, hassles
and complications that are easily avoided.

As a smoker, you have no doubt developed a pattern to your smoking. For
example, if you are a typical one pack a day smoker one of your habits is to
smoke a pack a day. You need to take small steps to break these habits. Perhaps
you will find best luck in simply changing your habits slowly. For example, if
you typically smoke a cigarette after each meal, you might find it helpful to
brush your teeth. This can have the effect of providing a fresh mouth that you
do not want to dirty with cigarette taste. You might find that after each meal
you need to try chewing a piece of gum, sucking on hard candy or even
attempting nicotine gum.

If there are any specific circumstances that always trigger a cigarette
craving, you should work to avoid the situation. If it is something that you
absolutely cannot avoid, such as dinner times, you need to create an
alternative habit that you replace smoking with. For example, if you always
smoke as soon as you get to your car after work, you might want to consider
carpooling with someone who does not smoke, taking a different route home,
stopping for groceries, jamming to some music or even taking a bus. Anything
you can do to shake up your normal smoking routine is good.

There will of course be times that it is quite difficult to break the habits.
If you find yourself in a position where you cannot avoid a typical smoking
situation, you need to create a way to deal with it. Some people use nicotine
gum whenever they are faced with a smoking situation. Others find that the stop
smoking sticks are beneficial. These sticks can allow you to hold a pretend
cigarette that just provides your hands with something to do. If you find these
quite useful then you know that your problem is your hands are idle, finding
something for your hands to do might help a lot.

Trying to quit is a very difficult process. Many people take weeks if not
months to quit smoking completely. If you are struggling far too much with the
idea of completely quitting at once you may find it is much better for your own
situation to slowly cut back on your cigarette consumption. Regardless of the
precise method that you choose, it can take a minimum of 2 weeks to start
adapting new habits. This means that any new behavior you adopt in your quest
to stop smoking must be repeated continuously for at least two weeks before you
will start to see a real difference in your lifestyle. Giving yourself plenty of
time to work on your new habits is essential and will set you on the road to
success.

Why You Need to Stop Smoking for Good

With all of the negative effects that smoking has, it is amazing to see just
how many people still smoke. Aside from the physical effects, there are plenty
of other reasons why smoking is not such a good idea, but it is very important
to actually take advantage of these reasons when you are looking for reasons to
quit smoking. Simply quitting on a whim might sound nice, but it will rarely be
successful and often leaves you upset and saddened that you have not achieved
the results that you really want.

Looking at your health there are some immediate reasons why smoking is bad.
With the risk of lung cancer, heart problems, cancer of the larynx and even a
severely increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Just listening to all of the
potential health problems is enough to scare some people so badly that they
never pick up another pack of cigarettes again. Those who still continue to
smoke either feel that they cannot stop, or they are just unable to stop
because they are so badly addicted to the idea of smoking.

Breaking free of cigarettes is never easy. Looking at yourself as a smoker, is
this the type of image that you would like to pass onto your children? Most
people who smoke admit that they would be incredibly upset or at the least
disappointed if their children chose to smoke. If you are continuously smoking
in front of them, what type of example are you really setting though? The sad
reality is parents who smoke are much more likely to have children who smoke.
It is essential that you work diligently to help your children avoid smoking by
quitting yourself.

Many smokers find that they have a problem with their health that creates a
serious need to quit smoking. It is often too late that they decide to quit.
The damage has already been done to their health; the consequences are often
giving up their life, rather than just a pack of cigarettes. Making this
sacrifice is something that most people are honestly not willing to make, but
it happens almost every day.

Deciding that you are ready to quit is a personal decision that has to come
from your heart. You cannot allow someone else to force the decision to quit on
you, but at the same time if you fail to listen to warnings from your doctors
you are well aware that you are doing serious damage to your body. Failing to
take these dangers into account can have a very devastating effect on your
entire body, as well as your family. This can be quite heartbreaking to many
families, which can make it extremely stressful for your family and yourself,
in turn making it harder to quit.

If you are looking at your lifestyle and your family and trying to decide the
one thing you could do to seriously improve your overall life the answer is
simple. If you quit smoking for good you can make a huge improvement for your
health, and you can also show your family that you deeply care about them all
at the same time. Your family relies on you, for guidance, mental support and
even for love. Taking the time to really decide why you want to quit for
yourself is very important to the success.

5 Benefits of Quitting Smoking

The idea to stop smoking might seem really great, but what are you actually
going to get out of the process? For many people there are some benefits that
are immediately obvious. Of course, your clothes and house will smell a lot
better, and if you have been a car smoker, your car will start to smell better
as well. However, if you dive beyond these shallow reasons, what can you really
expect to gain by quitting? The issues of money and even your health are far
greater than any minor smells that cigarettes can give off.

One of the biggest benefits is the savings of money. Consider that a one pack a
day habit can easily rack up a bill of $35 a week, $150 a month and finally
$1,825 in a year. This adds up to an enormous amount that is really hard to
play down. It is important to be really honest with yourself about how much
your cigarettes are costing you, if you are attempting to slash your budget,
quitting smoking can go a very long way towards freeing up a lot of money.

While the money is obviously nice to save, there are huge benefits to your
health as well. For example, research tells us that as little as 20 minutes
after you stop smoking you will be able to see a difference in your health. If
you consider that quitting smoking can help you reduce your risk of heart
problems, stroke, high blood pressure, lung cancer, and even breathing
complications you have just located a plethora of reasons why smoking really is
good to avoid. The research that tells us smoking is bad has proven that just a
short period of time after quitting is able to reverse many of the harmful
effects that cigarettes have caused, no matter how long you have been a smoker.

For example, if you quit smoking for a period of 5 years, you are no more at
risk of a stroke than someone who has been a non-smoker for their entire life.
This is huge considering that those who smoke are considered at least twice as
likely to suffer a stroke. Additionally, if you quit for 15 years, you can
enjoy the same risk of coronary heart disease as a non-smoker as well. While it
might seem strange to enjoy the risk for coronary heart disease, it is much
better than actually having coronary heart disease. Taking these small
victories for your health is important since you will be able to significantly
improve your quality of life.

Working to decide which benefits are the most motivation for you is not always
easy. You need to look at your lifestyle and determine what truly matters for
you. Not everyone is concerned about the health benefits, if you find yourself
more concerned with the money then focus on what you can save. If you are more
determined to improve your health then focus your efforts on the health
benefits that stopping smoking for good can really have for you. Ultimately,
the reason you choose to quit smoking is up to you, the way you do it will be
based around your particular personality and smoking habits. Knowing what your
motivating factors are can go a long way towards boosting willpower though,
which is always a helpful benefit no matter why you try to quit.

Hidden Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Looking to gain the biggest benefits that you can out of your goal to quit
smoking is not insane, rather it is a good idea. Knowing exactly what is in
store for you as you attempt to quit will help to keep you encouraged, plus it
can be a great reminder about exactly why you set out on the adventure of
stopping smoking when the going gets tough. Making sure that you are most
benefit possible is not only a wise idea, but it can also serve a huge benefit
of ensuring that you take full advantage of the improvement in your lifestyle.

One of the biggest benefits comes in your health. You can decrease your risk of
lung cancer, heart disease, heart attack, stroke and even high blood pressure to
name just a few of the health problems that are experienced by smokers. While
the time that it takes to decrease the risks vary, you should start to see an
improvement in your health very quickly. This can be highly encouraging since
you will be able to breathe better as you workout to stay in great physical
health.

Money is another fabulous reason to quit smoking. With the average cost of
smoking up to over $1,800 a year for a single pack a day habit, you are looking
at a lot of money just burned away. Keeping the money in your pocket can do a
lot for your budget. It could even mean the difference between being able to
buy that incredible sports car that you have had your eye on. You might even
decide to drop the money into a savings account and really get the maximum
benefit, regardless of your choice you are going to be happy to hang onto the
money, rather than burn it up.

Other benefits can include being able to keep your house, car and clothes
smelling better. Everyone knows that cigarettes have a bad smell, and those who
do not smoke can really pick up the smell. As your desire to smoke goes away,
your desire to smell good will increase. This can lead to a complete top to
bottom cleaning that will put you in a great mood. If you quit in the spring
you could just consider it your yearly spring cleaning spurt. You will
definitely love the increased sense of smell though, after all those gorgeous
flowers in the yard will now have a reason to exist beyond just looking pretty.

The ultimate benefit that you will experience is your expected life span will
be increased. What is better than finding the fountain of youth? Just by
stopping smoking, you can significantly increase the amount of time that you
are expected to live. This combined with the health benefits that quitting
smoking offers you could find that you are looking at adding as much as 10
years onto your life. This is something that is absolutely huge, and just by
quitting smoking as well. Most who discover just how much they can add to their
life are absolutely shocked, but taking care of yourself and quitting smoking
for good is a great benefit that you will certainly appreciate when you are
older and enjoying those added years. Do not be afraid to live your life to the
fullest, after you quit smoking you will have plenty of energy for a lot of
great new activities that you can enjoy for years.

How to Help Stop Smoking for Good

If you are struggling to quit smoking, you are certainly not alone. Each year
there are millions of adults who choose to stop smoking. Each year there are
also millions more who start smoking. This creates a never ending cycle of
adults struggling to quit, learning the best ways to quit smoking is never
easy. While there are plenty of excuses that tend to circulate all around,
there are also several great resources that can be a huge help as you are
struggling with the idea of quitting smoking. What might seem easy for you to
master one day, might be your biggest headache another day.

It is extremely important to gain a thorough understanding of why you want to
quit smoking. Simply waking up one morning and deciding to quit typically does
not work. You need to have a specific reason that you are determined to quit.
Whether your reason is for improved health, due to the request of your doctors,
because you want to save money, or you just really want to be alive for your
children. Ultimately, the reason itself is not important. The important thing
is having a reason.

People who choose to quit smoking without an actual reason to quit find it much
harder to quit. When the going gets tough, they typically have nothing to look
at as an ultimate motive. What might seem entirely impossible for one consumer
can seem like a total dream for others. If you find that you are in this
position you need to sit down and really analyze your decision to quit. Decide
on the specific reason and write it down if necessary so that you always have a
reminder. You may be surprised at just how helpful it is to write your wishes
down.

If you have to talk to others to help you decide upon the specific reason then
feel free to do so. This can often be a great exercise to help you strengthen
your resolve to quit as well. What might seem like a simple idea on paper may
seem completely overwhelming if you start thinking about it. Talking to someone
can help you to once again realize that it really is simple. Additionally,
talking to someone about your desire to quit can be great to help you realize
the temptations that you may encounter as well as ways to conquer those
temptations.

Choosing to quit smoking is not an easy decision. The fact that you cannot
simply quit is going to make it much harder. Many people find that they are
absolutely terrified to quit smoking. They believe that they just do not have
what it takes to quit successfully. Finding yourself in this position is often
scary. It is important to have a good network of supportive people around you.
From your friends to your family you need the mental support of people who
believe in you. Feeling down is going to be normal at times, but your support
network should be quite helpful in boosting your confidence again.

Gaining the strength to quit smoking will take some practice. Overcoming all of
the temptation is difficult of course as well, but pulling support from your
friends and family, as well as making a conscious decision to quit will go a
very long way in your struggle. What starts as a completely overwhelming
process will ultimately seem quite simple. You will be able to quit smoking,
you might have difficulties but you will ultimate come out triumphant over the
cigarettes.

Regaining control of your life is possible, and with your support network in
place, you will be able to ensure you are around for a very long time, and your
health is much better. Simply deciding to give up on your attempt to quit
smoking is not possible. You will be able to regain control, using your own
strength and pulling the support of those around you it really is possible to
change your life for the better, one cigarette at a time.

10 Tips to Stop Smoking for Good

With so many tips and suggestions on how to stop smoking it is really easy to
see why so many people really do not quit. The vast majority of people are
completely confused by the entire process! What of the conflicting messages
passed around? The fact is that with so much information passed around that is
confusing to people it is often much easier to just continue smoking and hoping
for a simple solution. Actually taking the necessary steps to really quit
smoking is not easy. It means coming to terms with the fact that stopping
smoking really is best for you, as well as your health.

Most people are readily aware that stopping smoking can improve their health,
but learning how to really conquer the urges to smoke is not easy. With so many
temptations circulating around, as well as the stresses of daily life it is easy
to see why jumping into a pack of cigarettes seems like a good idea.

Tip #1 You need a good reason to quit. Simply deciding to quit because the sky
is blue is not a sufficient reason. The need to quit smoking is obvious, but
the desire to quit needs to come from inside in order for the process to be
successful.

Tip #2 Look for small rewards that you can give yourself as you make progress.
You are not likely to just quit cold turkey with no complications. Set up small
rewards that will help you to want to make progress towards ultimately quitting.
This can be a great motivation to keep you on target.

Tip #3 Plan out your quitting strategy. Decide how you want to try to quit and
stick to it. Set a specific amount of time for your plan. If after a time, say
six weeks you have not quit, work on a new plan. This will allow ample time to
try each method, while still giving yourself flexibility to try something else.

Tip #4 Work to overcome your struggles. If you are smoking due to stressful
things in your life, you need to deal with the stress before you can
successfully quit. Regardless of the reason why you are smoking, it needs to be
dealt with in able to quit for good.

Tip #5 Set up a punishment for yourself. For example, if you generally stop at
Starbucks each day for a coffee you might consider skipping that on days when
you have fallen short of your goals for smoking. Whatever punishment you
select, make sure it is something that you care about.

Tip #6 Seek out help from your friends and family. You need support as you are
trying to quit, and this will help you to ensure that you are not alone in the
entire process.

Tip #7 Look for someone to quit with you. If you are entirely on your own, you
are going to be much more likely to slip back into smoking. If someone is
working with you and holding you accountable, you are more likely to struggle
to succeed. Working to quit smoking is not easy, but hard tasks are much easier
to accomplish with a partner.

Tip #8 Ensure you are getting plenty of sleep. The job of quitting smoking is
quite difficult. If you are not getting the rest you need, you are much more
likely to be cranky, upset and angry with the world. This is very
counterproductive to your goal of quitting smoking for good.

Tip #9 Aim to quit for good. This might seem a bit strange, but if you are just
planning to quit for a weekend you are not going to put much effort into the
process. If you are planning to quit for good, a lot more time and effort is
going to go into the process as well as your plan to quit.

Tip #10 Look for ways to take your mind off cigarettes. If you are always
thinking about cigarettes, you may find that you are much more tempted to
smoke. Reading a book, exercising, talking on the phone, surfing the internet
and even cooking are all great ways to occupy your mind and keep from thinking
about when your last cigarette was.

3 of the Top Struggles to Stop Smoking

Most people can readily agree that the idea to quit smoking is rather
terrifying. Giving up the comfort that smoking can provide is not easy, nor can
it be done instantly. Struggling to quit requires a lot of honest talks, not
only with yourself but also with your family. There are three major struggles
that you will encounter as you are working to quit smoking. Being fully aware
of these struggles will help you to create a plan to quit smoking for good that
can help you to overcome these difficulties and emerge in better health as a
non-smoker.

Struggle number one is going to find you looking temptation right in the eye.
There is simply no other way to put it. Everywhere you look cigarettes and more
cigarettes. The number of people who smoke is astonishing, and when you are
trying to stop smoking it seems like the number is quadrupling around you.
While it is nothing more than your mind playing tricks on you, it can still be
rather difficult to overlook all of the temptation and still stick to your plan
to quit smoking.

Anytime you find yourself overwhelmed by temptation you need to walk away. If
you are at your job and cannot simply walk away, you need to develop a stress
relieving strategy to fall back on which can help you to ignore the cigarettes
that you see. To really help you avoid temptation you need to work at finding a
place where you can eat your lunch away from the smokers and other temptations.
Always be on the lookout because they are around, and if you slip up they will
be there to lure you back into smoking rather quickly.

Your second struggle will be all of the questions that you are asked. Your
friends and family of course are happy for you that you are quitting smoking.
However, everyone is going to ask you why. This simple question starts to look
like a huge issue after the third time you are asked why. Rather than allowing
this tiny question to start eating at your resolve you need to ensure you are
dedicated to quitting. If you start second guessing your reason to quit each
time someone asks you why you are quitting then you really need to sit down and
have a long conversation with yourself. Unless you are personally 100% behind
your efforts, you will not succeed. You have to believe in the reason you are
quitting smoking.

Your family will be there for you no matter what reason you choose. It is
yourself that you have to convince, and this means that you need a good
argument and reason. Nobody will ever argue with you as much as you will argue
with yourself. When you are attempting something like quitting smoking the
nagging side of yourself comes out strong as well.

A final consideration is looking at all of the products on the market to help
you quit smoking. This might seem strange but this huge selection can be a big
problem. You need to determine why you smoke in order to select the best
product for your desire to quit. If you are a smoker because of stress, you
need to resolve the stress. If you smoke due to nicotine addiction then you
should look into slowly pulling off of the nicotine using either a patch, or
possibly the gum.

Regardless of the reason you smoke, there is a product that is designed to help
you. Finding the best product for your specific needs is not impossible, but it
will force you to be brutally honest with yourself. If you are just completely
unable to find the exact reason why you smoke try to start finding something
else to do with your hands and mouth anytime you have the urge to smoke. For
example, a stress ball and a piece of gum could be all you need. If you are
smoking because you are bored, giving yourself something to do, even just
squeezing a stress ball might be the release that you need to walk away a
successful non-smoker.

Secrets to Quit Smoking

Trying to quit smoking is certainly not a new concept. The problem comes from
the fact that it really is much harder to quit smoking than most people ever
anticipate. To help remedy this situation there are a few things that you can
do to really improve the chances that the next time you try to quit you are
able to do so successfully. Learning some of the secret tips that you can use
is quite helpful to making sure that you really do quit, after all you are
setting out on a very difficult adventure so having some help is going to be a
huge asset in your quest.

You need to first really come to terms with the fact that stopping smoking is
not easy. You may find that it takes you years to actually quit for good. This
is not uncommon, but is something that can serve as a huge disappointment if
you are trying to quit in only a couple of weeks. If you are not able to quit
when you really want, but you are showing signs of serious progress you should
still take this as a good sign of progress. Any signs of progress should be
celebrated no matter how small they are; of course, large signs of progress
should have a larger celebration though in order to be truly successful.

One mistake that many smokers make is trying to pick out a single approach to
quit smoking. You probably do not easily fit into a single category if you
tried to describe yourself, so your smoking likely will not either. This means
you probably need to spend a good amount of time considering different options
and techniques to help you until you find the combination that works best. If
something is not working you need to take advantage of the ability to change.
There are enough products on the market that finding something that suits your
needs really is possible, just be willing to look for something whenever
necessary.

Always choose a non-stressful time to stop smoking. If you are already stressed
out when you start trying to quit you will find that it is much harder to quit.
One example, would be attempting to quit smoking right as you are bringing a
new baby home. While this might seem like a fabulous idea so that your child is
not exposed to the second hand smoke, it is also a very stressful time. You
should instead try to quit before the baby is born, or wait a while after the
birth for the best chances at success at quitting for good.

One of the biggest secrets that people will not tell you is the fact that you
really can quit. In addition, if you really are determined to quit you may not
even need the expensive stop smoking aids that are on the market. Just the mere
desire to quit for good is often all that is needed, but you need a super strong
support team in place to make this happen. What often happens is smokers become
so determined that expensive stop smoking aids are needed and they convince
themselves that without these gadgets and contraptions that they will not be
able to quit. If you look beyond the attractive packaging, you are often left
with nothing more than something which will keep your hands occupied or help
distract you during periods of strong urges to smoke. Looking for alternatives
can often be much cheaper, as well as just as effective in the end.

Working to Save Your Health -- One Cigarette at a Time

Attempting to quit smoking is never easy; working to reduce your intake of
cigarettes as well as actually quitting fully is always a hard process. If you
have tried to quit cold turkey before, you have probably experienced a large
number of problems. This is one of the hardest methods to quit smoking that
there really is. This can really make the process of quitting smoking so much
harder than it really is. If you have struggled to quit cold turkey before,
there is still help available to you. Simply having trouble quitting smoking
immediately does not mean that you are doomed to smoke forever.

If you are aware that you have had problems in the past quitting you are ahead
when it comes to the next attempt. Being fully aware of your problems will
enable you to create a plan to combat the complications that you experienced.
For example, if you find that you are far too interested in smoking to just
quit fully you might need to approach the process of quitting in a different
manner. One of the most successful options you could pursue is quitting slowly.

Quitting all at once may be something that you are not capable of doing. This
is not uncommon at all; in fact, many people have great difficulty if they
attempt to quit cold turkey. If you take your time and quit slowly you will
find that the process of quitting goes much easier. Slowly cutting out a few
cigarettes each day will allow you to slowly decrease the amount of cigarettes
that you smoke, without feeling as if you are completely suffering.

One of the most important things to remember if you are quitting slowly is you
need to occupy your time during the period when you are typically smoking. If
you have elected to skip smoking at specific times, you need to ensure you stay
busy during these times. This would mean finding a way to keep your mind
occupied that will not involve keeping your hands idle, after all if your hands
are idle you are much more likely to slip up and smoke again.

If you find that you have a very strong temptation to smoke during these times,
you need to create a specific task that you will do whenever the urge is strong
to smoke. Looking into nicotine gum or possibly even chewing regular gum may be
all of the help that you need to avoid the temptation to smoke when you are most
tempted. Regardless of how quickly you are trying to smoke, you should always
cut out no more than two cigarettes a day until you have established a
successful pattern.

If you have gone a week with the reduction of two cigarettes successfully, it
would then be time to decrease another two cigarettes. Going slow will allow
you to easily see the point where you start to have serious problems, but at
the same time build up your self-control. In the very least, you will begin to
see improvements in your health due to the decrease of cigarettes that you are
smoking still. Of course, as everyone knows, it is much better to simply quit
smoking fully, but this is not always possible for everyone.

Making sure that you are successful the next time you attempt to quit smoking
is going to involve a great amount of commitment on your part. Additionally, it
will also take a serious desire for you to actually quit and improve your
health. If you are merely working at quitting slowly you need to be aware of
the potential problems and ready to take control of your habits in order to
effectively make new habits that will set you up for a much healthier
lifestyle. Avoiding the bad habits that smoking causes is certainly not easy;
taking the time to really grasp at the small benefits that you start to achieve
is critical to success and will find you in much better health.

Working the Math of Smoking

If you are trying to quit it is often necessary to really look at your overall
budget to get a real reason to quit smoking. Simply trying to quit for your
health sometimes is just not enough. You need to really open your eyes at times
to see how much smoking really is costing you each year that you smoke.
Additionally, this can also be impacted if you require a great amount of health
care due to smoking related complications. However, at a minimum the costs that
you can count on for certain will include the costs of the cigarettes
themselves.

If you have ever stopped to think about how much you are spending a week on
cigarettes you have surely noticed that it is a rather significant amount.
Prices are climbing higher than ever before, and this is largely due to the
fact that many states as well as the federal government are imposing extremely
costly taxes on cigarettes to help offset many of the increased health problems
that are created. On average, all around the country can cost as much as $5 per
pack. If you have a habit of smoking that consists of only a single pack per
day, you are smoking seven packs in a single week.

This might not seem like much, but if you consider that each week, you are
spending $35 on cigarettes, it can add up quickly. In a single week if each
pack costs $5 you will have spent as much as $35 on your cigarettes! For many
people this is a tank of gas, a trip to a movie theater, or even a new outfit
if you know how to shop right. You could even put the money in a savings
account and start to find how your money could actually grow, rather than be
burned.

As much as the idea of $35 might seem like a lot of money, to many people it is
just a minor price to pay for something that they thoroughly enjoy. If we
consider that the average month has 30 days, and each day you are smoking a $5
pack of cigarettes the monthly price will jump up to approximately $150. This
is a rather substantial amount and could easily cover most people's gas bills,
power bills, water bill, phone bill or even a great night out on the town
occasionally.

If you really want to see the overall impact of smoking each year, consider
that each year you are smoking 365 packs of cigarettes. This multiplied by 20
comes up to 7,300 cigarettes each year, which comes up to an astonishing $1,825
dollars each year! Talk about a huge amount of money spent on smoking. Remember
though this is just the price of a single pack a day habit, and it is assuming
that you are paying only $5 per pack, many states have higher prices, while
others are a bit cheaper. If you actually smoke more than a single pack a day,
you would be looking at $3,650 a year for a two pack a day smoking habit as
well as 14,600 cigarettes each year that you smoke!

The sheer price of cigarettes when added up in a single year is horrific. If
you consider that you would probably be smoking for a period of 5 years, at
least should you have no desire to quit and you are looking at a total cost of
$9,125 for a single pack a day habit and a striking $18,250 for a two pack a
day habit. The amount of money that can be saved by skipping purchasing
cigarettes is absolutely enormous.

If the idea of just improving your health, you may have a sudden desire to quit
after you see exactly what it is costing you each year to smoke. The prices of
cigarettes are continuing to rise, and this combined with increased living
expenses makes it extremely hard for families to make ends meet. Saving money
any way possible is a huge help, and even the expense of pricy stop smoking
aids is significantly cheaper than the cost of actually continuing to smoke.

Using Children to Stop Smoking Successfully

If you have attempted to quit smoking you no doubt realize just how easy it was
to get started smoking compared to actually quitting. Maybe the reason you are
trying to quit is to set a good example for your children. This is one reason
why many parents find themselves struggling to quit. They do not want their
children to grow up thinking that it is ok to smoke, and it is necessary that
they quit in order to set a great example. If you find yourself in this
position, there are several things you can do to help make the situation much
better.

One such idea that you can use would be to actually invite your children to
watch the struggle. This means asking your child to be your help and strength
when you are tempted to smoke. Simply talking to them about your struggles to
quit can be a great way to show how difficult it really is, while at the same
time getting your issues out in the open. Many times talking about problems can
make them seem much smaller. This is a great way to help fight the urges of
cigarettes as well, after all many parents who have open and honest
relationships with their children are able to talk about a lot of issues. Use
this opportunity to talk about things that are important, and encourage the
extra support that you receive at the same time.

If you are focusing more on your child when you have an urge to smoke, and less
on where exactly your pack of cigarettes is located it will be easier to reduce
urges. You should encourage your child to help you find out remedies to your
urges.

For example, going with you to the store to pick out suitable candy to chew on
when you get an urge, or even going with you to the store to purchase the stop
smoking aid of your choice.

Allowing them to be a part of your decisions can help them to see the exact
struggles that you are going through. If you merely hide your problems behind a
closed door, your children may grow up thinking that it is actually easy to
smoke. This could even lead them to being tempted to smoke. However, just
because you are trying to have an open relationship with your child does not
mean that you should actually smoke around them. The harm that second hand
smoke can cause should be enough to keep you from lighting up around you;
however, you could ask your child to help you maintain a smoking log.

Of course, each family has different ideas about what is acceptable to talk
about, and even comfort levels. If you feel that you are pushing the borders of
what you are comfortable with you can always adjust this. However, using your
children to help encourage you to quit is great. After all, kids are notorious
for picking on people and pointing out flaws. If you allow your child to help
you with your smoking urges you may find that you really do not want to smoke
anymore at all if your children are busy picking on you the entire time. No
matter what works best for you and your particular situation you need to grasp
at any opportunity to encourage a bond and crush the urge to smoke. Your child
will be very proud of you after you have quit, and you will certainly have a
much increased self-confidence.

The 2 Most Successful Factors to Quit Smoking for Good

Taking the steps to decide that you want to quit smoking is a huge commitment.
The dedication that is needed is absolutely essential to your success and can
often be one of the only factors that will determine how successful you are. If
you find that you are struggling to quit smoking you are certainly not alone,
seeking out appropriate help is always key to finding success in your quest to
quit smoking. Looking around at all of the excuses, reasons, purposes and
methods that pertain to quitting smoking there are generally two very large
factors that will determine your overall success. Without these two factors you
will almost always fail, with them you will typically walk away a successful
non-smoker.

Your first critical success factor will be being determined to quit for your
own reasons. This means you need to decide for yourself that you want to quit.
Having the idea to quit smoking forced upon you will generally not work out
well for yourself. You have to decide all on your own that you are ready to
quit smoking, this dedication to stop smoking will often be a huge driving
force in your battle against cigarettes and you will probably need to pull
strength from your decision. Additionally, as everyone around you is asking why
you want to quit, a good answer that you believe in will help you to resolve
your determination each time you answer.

This might sound like nothing more than an excuse, but actually deciding for
yourself that you want to quit is a huge boost to your mental approach. If you
approach quitting smoking with the idea that someone else is forcing you, then
often you will make small mistakes that can sabotage your efforts. You may not
recognize these errors, but they are typically there. Approaching the task of
quitting smoking on your own will ensure that you are setting out to be
successful and quit for good. Those who quit for the reasons of someone else
typically quit for only a short period of time. Those who quit for themselves
are the people who quit for good.

Your second critical success factor will be your actual approach. If you
approach the task of quitting smoking with the confidence that you will succeed
no matter what, you will find that your determination is much stronger. This
increased determination can be very helpful as you are trying to fight off
those late night cravings, or even the times when the urge to smoke appears and
nobody is around to help you through it. As a smoker, there are plenty of times
when you will need your own self-control to really pull you through. This comes
from having the confidence to know that you can succeed.

If you merely approach quitting smoking with an attitude that you think you can
quit, you will be sending yourself mixed signals. These can create huge problems
for yourself as you are struggling to maintain the self-control that is
necessary to quit successfully. Pulling your strength from yourself is very
important. Without the determination that you can in fact do this, you will
fall into the temptation to smoke again much easier. It is not a simple task to
quit smoking, many people struggle for years to quit fully.

Believing that you can quit smoking at some point is what will be a driving
factor in your success. The longer it takes to quit smoking the more likely you
are to actually lose your determination. This can spell disaster very quickly.
Keeping your determination strong starts from within, you need to be able to
justify to yourself, your harshest critic exactly why you want to quit smoking.
The people in your family who are there for support are just for backup support.
You are your own best cheerleader and celebrating the small victories that you
accomplish is very important to your success. If you take the time to really
stretch your confidence you will be in a great position to quit for good.

Stop Smoking for Good -- 4 Steps to Success

Trying to quit smoking will likely take a very large amount of dedication and
determination from you personally. At the same there are plenty of problems
that you may encounter as well. Knowing what these potential problems are and
having a specific plan for your success is important. Knowing exactly what you
are trying to do will enable you to plan for success, rather than merely
stumble along trying to quit.

Step 1. You need to take the time to create a plan to quit smoking. This means
looking at the reason why you smoke, and working to create a plan that will
help you to succeed. If you are addicted to nicotine then you need to look at a
product to help you slowly curb the nicotine addiction. If you merely smoke
because you are bored you should look for thing to do to keep you occupied
instead of bored. However, if you are smoking because you are stressed out then
your plan should include a way to reduce stress as well.

Step 2. Seek all of the help you can get. With help coming in the form of stop
smoking aids, as well as support from your friends and family it will be very
important to get anything you can. If you have a lot of problems getting the
help that you need, you should work to resolve these problems before you
attempt to quit. For example, if you have a very tight budget and cannot afford
the nicotine gum that you might need, save up money for a couple of weeks to
purchase the gum to start with. Then once you have what you need, start working
to actually quit.

Step 3. Log your progress. If you write down your goals, and also how you are
progressing towards your goals you are making yourself accountable for
everything. For example, if you decide that you are going to reduce your one
pack a day habit to only 10 cigarettes each day it is important to write down
each cigarette that you smoke. This will allow you to see a specific pattern to
your smoking, and also make sure you are aware of how many cigarettes you are
smoking each day. You may find that as you are writing down each cigarette you
decide to skip a few just so that you do not have to write them down. If you
choose this method make sure you are really honest with yourself. Cheating on
your log will get you nowhere very quickly since the information is all
incorrect.

Step 4. Celebrate your success somehow. If you have managed to go 24 hours
without a single cigarette, you should celebrate. This does not mean you need
to throw a gigantic block party for each tiny milestone but you do need to do
something. If you treat yourself to your favorite coffee, ice cream, book or
even the purse at the mall you have been eyeing it will help encourage you to
continue on your path of success. Save up a huge party, or even a dream
vacation for once you have quit smoking for a longer period of time such as 1
year for example. This will give you a huge incentive to continue the success
and you can use the money you save from stopping smoking to fund the trip or
party.

Always ensure that you follow these steps and you will find that in no time at
all, you will be able to join the ranks of the non-smokers of the world. Taking
advantage of all of the help available as well as holding yourself accountable
is a huge step in the right direction. Knowing what you should expect from
yourself is also helpful because you will be able to anticipate problems before
they appear. Merely waiting until problems do occur is asking for a disaster.
You owe it to yourself to quit smoking successfully, and these four suggestions
will get you there in record time.

Relieving the Stress of Quitting Smoking

Trying to figure out exactly how to reduce the stress that accompanies trying
to quit smoking is never easy. There are plenty of factors that can all work
together to stress you out badly and learning how to avoid these potential
problems is absolutely critical to success. Unless you know what you are doing,
you are going to find that it is very difficult to get the results that you
need, without getting yourself into an even worse position. Learning how to
relieve stress is often able to go hand in hand with reducing smoking all on
its own, so it is only natural that it can complicate trying to quit.

If you really want to quit smoking for good, you will need to learn how to
relax and reduce stress. Since your life is not likely to exist inside of a
small bubble, you need to learn how to handle the stress. This can mean
activities such as yoga, meditation and even a nice relaxing shower or bath. If
you find that you are stressed at work, a small walk around the building or even
a relaxing cup of tea may be in order. You have to learn ways to adapt to the
stress, without crumbling. If you just try to ignore the stress in your life,
you are going to find it much harder to quit smoking; ultimately, you will end
up smoking even more than previously and damaging your health much more.

Look for a hobby that you can do to help you break free of the stresses of
family and work. Most people can agree that their job causes stress at some
point in time. Having a hobby to help you rid your life of stress even for a
few moments at a time is very helpful. This will allow you to come back to your
job with a clear mind ready to start fresh again. If you do not have a hobby,
you need to look for one. Just be sure that you select something that you enjoy
which is relaxing.
This would make it a bad idea to look for a hobby that reminds you a lot of
your job or other similar stressful situations.

Always look for time to relax by yourself. Everyone needs time alone, and when
you are trying to quit smoking, it is even more important. You need these brief
moments to yourself so that you can unplug from your life. These brief moments
are very helpful to your entire desire to quit smoking. If you are always
around people continuously, you will find that your patience levels start to
decrease substantially. This can make it much easier to snap, which in turn
raises your stress level. Even if you have to stay up an extra 10 minutes, or
get up 10 minutes earlier, these precious moments to gather your thoughts will
be treasured.

The fact that many people pick up smoking to help relieve stress is no secret.
This means to quit smoking for good you have to come up with stress relief or
you will just be a yoyo between cigarettes for a very long period of time.
Working to conquer the desire to smoke is not easy, it involves a lot of work,
and reducing the stress in your life is certainly a great place to start. If
you cannot eliminate the stress like most people, your next best option is to
just learn how to properly deal with the stress, and these suggestions can help
you to cope without reaching for cigarettes.

Putting Down the Cigarettes for Good

To help ensure that you are successful in your next, as well as final attempt
to quit smoking there are a few things that you should really keep in mind.
Setting yourself up to be successful is not something that should happen by
accident. If you really want to stop smoking for good, you will need to make a
few conscious decisions that must be followed. If you wake up each morning with
the goal of trying to avoid cigarettes and no real plan on how to actually avoid
cigarettes, you will find that you are smoking again very quickly.

In the beginning, you will discover that you are probably afraid of quitting.
While you know that it is the smart thing to do for your health it is a habit
that has come to be a huge comfort to you. Quitting is so terrifying that you
even start to work yourself up over it. Convincing yourself that you cannot
really do it, and you should just not even attempt since you know you will
fail. The simple answer is letting yourself believe you will fail will result
in failure. If you believe that you can succeed, you will find it much easier
to quit for good.

Your first step should be picking out a specific date that you want to start
smoking. This can be any date that you please, but unlike that fad diet you
keep meaning to try out, this date should actually come. Once the date arrives,
you need to ensure that all of your friends and family are behind you for
support. This will help you to keep your willpower up whenever you feel that
you are going to completely lose control. As a great step in the right
direction, you could even avoid buying new cigarettes if you are out, or
destroy any that you currently have in your possession.

As a hint, if the cigarettes are in the cabinet in the kitchen or the living
room but not physically on you, then yes they do still count as being in your
possession. You need to remove everything smoking related from your home. This
includes matches, lighters, ashtrays, and all cigarettes. Wash everything in
your house if you can, especially bed sheets, and drapes. Anything that smells
like smoke should be cleaned. This will clear your home and get it smelling
fresh and clean. This great new smell can go a long way towards warding off
cigarettes since you will not want to smoking in the clean house and ruin the
fresh smell.

Create a reward system for yourself. A good place to start would be a tiny
reward after your first 24 hours with no cigarettes. Then move onto 2 days,
then 3 days, then a week, two weeks, a month, two months and so forth. These
small rewards will help you to stay motivated as the going gets tough and your
willpower starts to diminish. If you give into the temptation, you lose out on
your reward and this should be painful in order to be effective. If you are a
huge sports fan, you might buy yourself season tickets for your favorite team.
Every time you meet a goal, you go to a game, which can encourage you to stay
on track so you can use those great tickets.

Writing down your goals is another great way to rid yourself of cigarettes.
There is something about writing down goals that just makes them more
important. If you are just walking around with your goals and rewards in your
head it is easy to change the rules as you go along. If they are written down,
it is a lot easier for someone in your family to help hold you accountable. In
addition, this can make it seem much more reasonable to actually quit. Talking
about quitting can sound really scary, seeing it written down on paper can
remind you just how simple the process really is.

Planning to Quit Smoking -- What You Should Do

The time in your life where you decide it is time to quit smoking for good is a
very important step. It represents the time in your life when you have decided
that it is time to regain complete control over your body, and actually take
charge of your decisions. Of course, you made the decision to start smoking,
but ultimately this choice is much harder to break, than it ever was to start.
Knowing how to break the habit is very important to being successful and this
means you really need to take some time to review all of your options.

In general, while it may seem like a great idea to start trying to quit
tomorrow you need to take a bit of time to set out a plan of attack. If you are
working towards a plan which includes several well laid out goals you are going
to be much more likely to succeed. However, simply taking a chance and hoping
for the best may be your best option. Typically, the hope and wait method is
not effective though, so having a plan will ensure that you have something to
fall back on.

You should review all of the options for stop smoking aids that are on the
market. There are literally dozens of products that all claim to help stop
smoking. Some really do not work at all, but in general most do really work,
but only for certain people. This means if you are not well suited to the
product, it will not be very effective for your venture. Finding something that
is well suited to your needs is critical to ensure your own personal success.
Just because the product has helped 1,000's of other former smokers does not
mean that you will find success with it.

You need to then look at a calendar and pick out a date to quit. This is very
important because having a date picked out gives you something to look forward
to. You should also look at it as an exciting adventure, rather than the day
you decided to drive yourself insane and attempt to quit smoking. Looking
forward to the specific date that you pick with excitement and joy will make
the overall experience much better. As you are picking out dates on the
calendar, pick out additional dates for smaller goals as well. For instance, if
you decide to quit smoking on August 1st you would want to select August 2nd as
your 24-hour victory and then August 7th as your first no smoking week.

Avoiding negative people is very important. If you are surrounding yourself by
people who all think that you are just acting like a baby in your struggles to
quit smoking your self-esteem is going to take a huge hit. Additionally, your
self-confidence in yourself to actually succeed in your quest to quit smoking
will start to wane. This is a huge disaster since you need to believe in
yourself in order to actually quit smoking for good. Surrounding yourself with
positive people who support your efforts to quit will make it much easier for
you. After all, the friend who encourages you is the friend you should want to
be around more anyways. Someone who is doing nothing but cutting down your
efforts probably is not the greatest friend anyways.

Overcoming Nicotine Addiction for Good

In order to really quit smoking it is necessary to break the chains that
smoking creates in your life. If you are addicted to smoking purely due to the
nicotine addiction you are certainly not alone. This is one of the biggest
reasons why smokers continue to smoke. It is also one of the reasons why the
tobacco company sits around confidently while the economy struggles and people
are cutting back. If you are addicted to their product, you are not going to
cut back. In fact, if you are addicted you may find that you are using the
product even more. This creates huge profits for the tobacco companies, and
leaves you with a huge problem as you are struggling to get your addiction
under control.

What is really surprising is the fact that people will have sympathy for
someone who is addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling and a plethora of other
addictions. However, the sympathy tends to stop at the idea of being addicted
to cigarettes. This is a stigma that has affected society in a way that people
are often laughed at for saying that they are addicted to cigarettes. Yet, the
fact remains that people are in fact addicted. Learning how to control the
addiction is critical to success, after all those who are addicted to drugs
rarely ever just quit cold turkey successfully.

You need to realize that you are addicted to smoking, and that the reason is
typically due to nicotine. The exact manner that you get the nicotine is not
important. What is important is avoiding the harmful effects on your body that
smoking has. If you need to slowly cut back your nicotine consumption you are
not alone, and to prove it there are dozens of stop smoking aids on the market.
Several even offer small dosages of nicotine to help smokers deal with their
nicotine addiction while still working to quit smoking. Looking towards
products such as nicotine gum or even the patches may be your only help in
quitting.

While there are plenty of tricks such as breathing exercises, magnets, and
other stop smoking aids that you can use, many are not designed for people
actually addicted to the nicotine. What you may not realize is that the bulk
majority of smokers have become dependent on the nicotine to one extent or
another. While some smokers rely much more on the nicotine than others, they
are still addicted to an extent. It is important to break this dependence in
order to actually be successful at quitting smoking. This is not an easy
process, and it must be done carefully.

If you are not careful in the process of breaking your nicotine addiction, you
could actually make things worse. For example, the nicotine gum and the patches
come in different dosage levels. These levels coincide to the amount that you
smoke. The intended purpose is to start at the level that you typically smoke
at and slowly decrease the amount of nicotine that you consume each day. Slowly
over time your addiction would be gone, however to crush this instantly you
would just need to use a stronger gum or patch than you need for your smoking
habit. A one pack a day smoker could create far more problems for themselves if
they used the gum or patch intended for those who smoke two packs a day for
example.

Being sure that you are using the proper dosages is critical. Ensuring that you
are taking your time and carefully dealing with your nicotine addiction is very
important as well. If you have the support of your friends, family and
co-workers, you will have a much greater success rate. Just as those recovering
drug addicts take things a single day at a time, you need to do the same for
your nicotine addiction. Simply rushing out and attempting to quit could create
a huge self-esteem problem and you fail to control the addiction to nicotine.
Going slow and accepting your problem will set you up for a much higher success
rate and improve your overall health much faster.

Making Your Next Attempt to Quit Smoking Your Last

Everyone has found themselves in the position at some point or another of
second guessing their ability. This is certainly nothing new. The problem comes
when you are trying to quit smoking and find yourself completely trapped
underneath the stress of the situation. Trying to decide what you are going to
do to regain complete control over things is critical. If you take the time to
create a good plan that is firm you will find a much better success rate.
Setting yourself up for success is one of the most important things that you
can do in your attempt to quit smoking and failing to do this will often result
in the cycle of continuously trying to quit.

The biggest thing that sets apart those smokers from those who successfully
quit smoking is the desire to quit, and the determination to make it work no
matter what. Someone who is just interested in stopping smoking might play with
the idea for a short period of time. They may read a book, talk to their doctor
but ultimately they do not take the time to make necessary lifestyle changes.
In contrast, someone who is determined to quit smoking will read books, talk to
their doctor, tell their family and friends that they are quitting.
Additionally, they typically do research to determine the best stop smoking
aids for them to use based on their own lifestyle and even start looking for
additional ways to improve their health.

This difference is huge because it is often a clear signal of success, and what
is nothing more than falling into the cycle of continuous trying. You have to
make a clear decision that you are going to quit, and you have to sell yourself
on the idea. If you are just trying to convince yourself that you might be able
to quit, you are going to have a lot of difficulty really making it to your
final goal. In contrast if you are absolutely certain that you can quit
smoking, it just matters how soon you accomplish the goal you are moving in the
right direction.

We as people are full of subliminal messages. Many of the messages that we are
receiving come from others, but we are good at telling ourselves a lot of
information as well. This means you need to train yourself to send the right
subliminal messages. If you are eluding confidence then your messages are going
to be positive, additionally you are going to find that as the urge to smoke
appears it bothers you much less than someone who has serious doubts about
their ability to quit.

Everyone knows that it is not easy to quit smoking. Being aware that it is not
easy is not the same as setting yourself up to fail though. The difference is
the fact that you recognize the difficulty and you are attempting to overcome
the struggles that you think you are going to encounter. Merely allowing the
struggles to blindside you in a moment of weakness where you find yourself
smoking is not good for your goal to quit smoking. This can actually be very
harmful because your overall self-confidence is crushed, and once crushed; it
is really hard to get back.

If you set yourself up for success by admitting that it is not easy to quit
smoking, and agreeing that you will stop smoking somehow no matter how
difficult it is your commitment level will be much higher. Accepting the
problems as they come, and working to overcome them is vital. You are going to
find that you are much happier with your goal of quitting for good, rather than
just quitting for a weekend. While it might seem like a good idea to break it
down into just quitting for a weekend you will discover that slipping back into
smoking is so much easier after the weekend is over, rather than deciding to
quit smoking for good and aiming for that goal in all of your actions.

Learning the Reasons Many People Smoke

Trying to quit smoking is not easy, learning the exact reason why you actually
smoke is often critical to the success of the project. If you discover the
exact reason why you are smoking it can make it so much easier to actually
determine how to find the success that you need, in order to quit for good.
Simply trying to quit for reasons that do not pertain to your situation will
leave you upset and frustrated. You are likely to feel as if you are nothing
more than a failure, and your overall situation is not likely to be impressive
at all. However, if you take the time to discover why you specifically smoke,
you will be surprised at just how much easier it is to stop.

Many people smoke for a wide range of reasons. They can range from something as
innocent as smoking when you are depressed, stressed or when you just want a
quick pick me up. The idea that smoking a cigarette will make your projects go
away is an innocent idea, but in reality, it is completely incorrect.
Typically, what is actually beneficial is the fact that you are able to take a
few brief moments out of your life to see exactly what is going on. One such
example is those who work at a stressful job, looking forward to your next
cigarette break is often going hand in hand with trying to break away from the
stress for a few brief moments. Learning how to cut down the stress at work can
be very helpful to cutting down the number of cigarettes you need as well.

Other reasons that many people smoke is due to being under the impression that
they will not be able to smoke. This comes back to the old idea that you are
never hungry at night except for the night before a medical test when you are
not allowed to eat after 8p.m. Suddenly that very night you are positively
starving and think that your doctor is punishing you badly for some reason. The
same thing happens to smokers. If you are going somewhere and you think you will
not be able to smoke, the urge to smoke may be much stronger. This often has
nothing to do with actually needing or even wanting to smoke. It is nothing
more than a mental game that we play with ourselves.

Many smokers find that they are only interested in smoking if they are bored.
Having nothing to do leads to idle hands, which can easily create problems.
Learning how to keep yourself busy is not easy, but trying to avoid boredom can
often go a very long way in the battle to stop smoking. Taking the time to
create a schedule for yourself that you can keep, without leaving too much down
time is important. If you pack your schedule with too much, you will create
stress, which could cause you to smoke even more, if you have too much free
time you could become bored which can also lead to smoking more. A properly
balanced schedule will ensure that you are productive without stressing.

A final consideration that you need to take into account is getting plenty of
sleep. Many people smoke because they need a pick me up in the middle of the
day. Finding yourself in this position is not good. Avoid staying up
excessively late whenever possible. Even going to bed early once a week can add
up to reducing the sleep shortage that you are experiencing. As lives are
increasingly busy, it is quite easy to forget how important sleep really is.
This can create a huge need to do something, almost anything to actually stay
awake. Avoid smoking and ensure that you are getting the rest you really need.
This simple step alone can help you to cut your smoking by as much as half if
you are dedicated to getting the sleep that your body really needs to survive.

How Many Attempts Do You Need to Quit Smoking for Good

While most people are determined to know exactly how many times it takes to
really quit. Getting a firm grasp on the number of tries that it will take is
important. You might be confused as to what this information can actually do
for you. It actually serves the purpose of setting you up to be confident as
you approach the date when you need to quit smoking. If you have a grasp on the
amount of time it could take you to quit, it will prevent you from feeling as a
failure in the event that it takes you more than a single try. This is very
important, because most people start to feel as if they just cannot quit after
failing a single time.

The majority of people in all honestness to themselves usually take at least
two attempts to successfully quit smoking. While most people would love to quit
after a single attempt, it is usually necessary to have two attempts minimum.
You might wonder exactly why two attempts are necessary but the answer is
really simple. For the most part the first time people start trying to quit
they have an attitude that tells them it is very simple. This tends to find
most consumers completely off guard, especially since it is not as easy to quit
smoking as you might imagine.

Breaking the addiction to nicotine is not easy, nor is it something that can
always be done in a single attempt. If you are prone to trying to quit entirely
on your own with no help you will often find that your chances of success are
much lower. It is almost always necessary to obtain some form of help when you
are trying to quit smoking in order to be successful. This is the primary
reason why it typically takes a minimum of two tries to quit smoking. No matter
how many attempts you may try, it is best to plan to quit for good anytime you
attempt to quit.

Being aware of how difficult it really is to quit smoking is quite significant.
If you are aware of the challenges you will be in a much better position because
you will have the ability to create a plan to help you quit. Knowing the
challenges that you face will also allow you to create a plan that is suitable
based upon the precise reason that you smoke. For example, if you tend to smoke
due to stress you should be aware of what causes you stress out and look for
ways to avoid the stress.

If you have a plan created to help you quit smoking before your first attempt
even begins you may find that you are able to quit after a single attempt. Not
having a plan before you even attempt to quit will increase the chances that it
takes several tries to be successful. Creating a plan to help you stop smoking
is not impossible, it merely means you need to be able to identify the problems
that you could experience in your attempt to quit smoking. This means if you
simply sit down and create a plan to help you deter temptations and also avoid
potential problems you will have a much better success rate.

Merely deciding to stop smoking at a whim will generally result in a series of
problems. It is very important to take your time creating your plan so that you
can successfully quit. Taking advantage of these small details in the plan that
you create can go a very long way towards ensuring that you are ultimately
successful. Just be certain that all of the small details of your plan are well
organized. This means you really need to keep your confidence up, feeling as if
you will not be successful can leave you creating a lot of problems. Avoiding
problems is very important to ensure that you are able to quit with as few
attempts as possible.

Forms of Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Trying to quit smoking may almost seem like you are walking into a burning
fire. It certainly is not simple, and with the attitudes that many people have,
you are looking at a lot of complicated issues trying to ensure that you get
started on the right foot to quit successfully. To help avoid many of the
complicated side effects that you could experience you have the option of
looking into nicotine replacement treatments. These typically come in two
different forms and the type that is best for you is something that you will
need to decide. It is a good idea to consider both options though, because they
both have their benefits and ultimately you just want to quit smoking for good.

The first is the traditional nicotine gum. This comes in a variety of flavors
as well as dosage amounts. This is almost always suited for those smokers who
find it extremely comforting to do something with their mouth whenever they
have the urge to smoke. By actively chewing the gum, you are getting a small
dosage of nicotine whenever you have an urge, plus you are able to keep your
mouth occupied. This can also be used in connection with cutting back your
smoking without causing any bad complications.

It is important to realize that you can control how often you need to use the
gum. If you are typically a one pack a day smoker, and are trying to cut out
half of the cigarettes each day you may only need to use the gum 5 times one
day and 7 times the next. You have this flexibility because you can use it only
as you actually need it. This type of flexibility is great for those who are
trying to go slowly in their quest to quit, as well as those who like to keep
their mouth occupied as the urge to smoke comes. In addition, the range of
flavors makes it easy to find something that almost anyone will enjoy.

The second option to consider is the traditional nicotine patch. These are
typically distributed in dosages and are applied in the mornings and worn all
day. By doing this, you are able to absorb small amounts of nicotine all day
long. This is great for those who are attempting to quit cold turkey; however,
you cannot smoke or use nicotine gum anytime you have a severe urge to smoke.
This limitation forces smokers to look for alternative ways to help curb any
additional urges that appear. Additionally, because the patch is applied every
morning, and removed at night, it can severely limit the flexibility to slowly
decrease nicotine consumption.

The patch is available in a range of dosages though, which can allow you to
slowly step down, but in general you have more flexibility to adjust the range
of nicotine in your body with the gum since each piece contains only a small
amount of nicotine. If you would rather do just a single thing to help you curb
nicotine addiction you may find that the patch is your best friend. Smokers who
have extremely busy lifestyles often find them quite effective. It is extremely
important to ensure you start with the appropriate patch to start with though.
Many smokers make the mistake of selecting the wrong dosage, which can actually
heighten the addiction to nicotine, rather than helping to decrease it.

Ensuring the Success of Your Quit Smoking Program

You have decided for some reason that it is now the right time in your life for
you to stop smoking. So you now sit around and try to decide exactly how you are
going to get started. You know the deep inside you are in for a long hard road,
but at the same time, you really want to quit for good. The idea of quitting
multiple times is just not attractive to you, so you are left with the task of
creating a plan of attack that will work, and work well. You are likely to find
this much harder than anything else you have ever tried to do in your life, and
for good reason.

The number of people who fail at trying to quit smoking each year is
astonishing. While millions are attempting to quit, there are still others who
are starting to smoke. Everywhere you look there are smokers who are
unintentionally tempting you to smoke again as well which makes it even harder
for yourself. Trying to overcome these challenges is very important, because
without being able to overcome these problems you will be completely unable to
quit for good.

Starting with a good plan is essential and this begins with deciding exactly
why you want to quit smoking. The reason really does not matter, but you need
to know your reason. What does matter is you also should believe in your
reason, if you merely pull the reason why someone else has quit that you do not
believe in your experience trying to quit will be extremely rocky and full of
problems. What you will need to do is spend a large amount of time trying to
honestly decide why you want to quit smoking so that you have a good reason.

Once your reason is selected, the rest of the process should be much easier to
deal with. What you do not always find immediately obvious is having a good
reason to quit can serve as a huge motivation factor. If you are just quitting
to quit, you are more likely to slip up on your goals, cheat and fall back into
smoking very quickly. The remainder of the tasks such as creating a schedule,
and even looking for the supportive guidance of friends and family will all be
a simple breeze.

You will need to work hard to maintain your commitment. This means trying to
avoid places and situations where you will be tempted to smoke. This means
avoid the smoking areas of restaurants and bars, no going to tobacco stores,
and certainly clearing the cigarettes out of your home. If you can find someone
to help you quit who is interested in quitting themselves you will have a huge
advantage. While not everyone does great with the buddy system, it is a great
tool to use because you can hold each other accountable.

This level of accountability can be quite helpful in ensuring that you are
really working to quit for good. So many people work to quit smoking and only
end up starting up again once the going gets tough. A friend who is also trying
to quit can serve as a fabulous way to really avoid the temptation since neither
of you will want to slip up first. Use this to your advantage and watch your
success grow while your health improves and cigarettes become a thing of the
past.

Discovering the Harsh Withdrawal Symptoms in Your Quest to Stop Smoking

You have set out in a goal to stop smoking, this of course is a great idea,
however are you really prepared for the potential consequences. Of course, your
health will enjoy a great benefit from the decreased smoking, but your body is
going to have a period of adjustment as it works to handle all of the harsh
effects that smoking has caused. Being fully aware of these potential negative
side effects will ensure that you are properly prepared to attempt quitting the
right way. Just saying that you want to quit is simply not enough, you need to
actually make an effort and be prepared.

One of the most common side effects to quitting that you may experience is
small spells of dizziness. These are typically only present in the first few
days as your body works to regulate hormone production. If you just pause for a
brief moment anytime the dizziness occurs it will generally pass quickly. If you
try to press forth with activities during these spells you could become injured
so taking your time is critical.

Headaches are another common withdrawal symptom. This is something that occurs
very commonly. Your best line of defense is any typical headache remedy that
you prefer. Many will opt with a mild pain reliever while others will focus on
relaxing techniques. Regardless of the method, try not to suffer too badly with
a headache or it could encourage you to smoke to relieve the stress the headache
is causing you.

Tightness in your chest and even coughing is another common withdrawal symptom.
As your body is adjusting to the lack of nicotine, it will start to also clear
out the excess chemicals that are built up. This can cause several different
reactions. Many people often mistake the chest tightening with having a heart
attack. If you are certain that it is a heart attack rather than just standard
chest tightening, make sure to get immediate medical attention.

One of the last major withdrawal symptoms is tiredness. While of course this is
a problem that plagues almost anyone who can breathe it becomes an even bigger
issue when trying to quit smoking. Often smokers use cigarettes as a way to
give them a boost of energy, this can be helpful while you are smoking but the
lack of energy as you are trying to quit can make you stressed, as well as
weaken your resolve to actually quit. Try to ensure that you are getting plenty
of sleep to combat this symptom as much as possible. Most people are able to
return to their normal routine, minus the smoking after just a few short weeks.

Your body may experience additional withdrawal symptoms. How you handle them is
typically left up to you as long as they remain mild, however at any sign of
serious health problems you need to seek the advice and supervision of a doctor
to ensure that there are not additional health problems that are being
mislabeled as a withdrawal symptom. Talking to your doctor and letting them
know that you plan to quit is typically a good idea so that they can also
closely monitor your physical health during the difficult struggle. After all,
an ounce of prevention is worth any time it may take to protect your health.

Developing Your Stop Smoking Plans

You are out to make a complete change in your life so you decide to pursue
quitting smoking. While the option has crossed your mind before, you now have a
sudden desire to actually quit, and to do it for good. You no longer want to be
trapped to the cigarettes that have held you hostage for so long. This means it
is time to start looking towards developing a sure fire plan that will allow you
to quit successfully and for good. You no longer want to consider the option
that you will fail; you have decided to go full steam ahead and now is the time
for action.

You are going to need to do several things, and that includes picking an actual
quit date. Here is the catch though; this date does need to come. People every
year decide that as a New Year's resolution, they are going to aim to quit
smoking, but January 1st comes and goes and they are still smoking. Rather than
finding yourself in this position pick a day to quit and stick with it. On that
day, all of your cigarettes need to be gone, and you need to be prepared
mentally to kick the smoking habit for good.

You should also look into setting up a rewards program for yourself; use the
money that you are saving by not buying cigarettes to fund it if necessary. A
year of smoking can easily cost more than $1,800 so you have a generous budget
to work with if you are working towards permanent results. Just be sure to look
for things that you really want to help encourage you. If you merely rely on the
financial rewards, or just the physical and health rewards you are much more
likely to fail, combine several types of rewards to keep yourself really
motivated.

As you are working to quit smoking you need to increase the amount of exercise
that you are doing, you should also start to watch how you are eating. Many
smokers find that as they quit smoking, they start gaining weight. This can
often be a huge shock, but if you are exercising and eating right, you can
minimize the weight gain to ensure that you are instead focusing on quitting
smoking, rather than splitting your time between trying to quit smoking and
trying to lose weight. Be prepared to pack on a small amount of weight but
these small changes will ensure that you are not gaining large amounts.

A final consideration that you should take into account is your overall health.
If you are in poor physical condition, you should discuss your plan to quit
smoking with your doctor. While a doctor is not going to discourage your from
quitting, they may have some helpful advice and information that is specific to
your health situation. This can also be great because your doctor will be able
to monitor your health to ensure that you can make the most impact in the
quickest amount of time.

Simply trying to struggle to quit smoking on your own is not necessary. Using
the advice from your doctor, as well as working with a well developed plan you
will find that it is not as hard as you ever imagined. You are certainly in for
a long and difficult road, but you will be able to find success at one end of
the road, which will leave you in better health, and also help you to take
pride in yourself for your accomplishment.

7 Tips to Controlling Your Urge to Smoke

Trying to quit smoking is a very lengthy process. This can take a very long
period of time such as several years, or it could be something much shorter
like only a few weeks or months. The exact time frame that it takes to quit can
vary greatly but what is important is ensuring that you are coming up with a
plan to combat your urges to smoke. At some point in your experience trying to
quit you will encounter a situation where the urge to smoke is very strong. How
you handle this situation will go a long way towards your ultimate success.
Being prepared for the urge to smoke will ensure that you have a plan to keep
your willpower strong and continue on your path to quit smoking successfully.

Tip 1. Take the time to decide exactly when you typically smoke. For example,
after meals, after a jog around the block, or even after your shower each
morning. Knowing when you typically smoke will put you in a good position to
create a plan to combat the urge.

Tip 2. Create a plan of attack. This could be something as simple as a stress
ball for your hands, or even just a piece of hard candy to keep your mouth
busy. If you really enjoy the taste and feeling of a clean mouth you could try
brushing your teeth each time you want to smoke, or suck on a mint flavored
candy, which will freshen your breath.

Tip 3. Avoid the temptations that lurk. If you go out to eat, make sure you are
sitting in the no smoking area. Avoid going into tobacco stores, and also try to
limit the amount of time you are around other smokers. If you are continuously
around cigarettes, it will be much harder to resist temptation.

Tip 4. Clean your house of all smoking instruments. This means all ashtrays,
lighters, matches and get rid of the smell of cigarettes. Products like
Febreeze are great for helping to get rid of cigarette smell, which can also
trigger an urge to smoke.

Tip 5. If you have a place where you typically smoke when you are at home,
think about rearranging the area. If you are able to break the routine of the
situation, you will be able to resist temptation much better. This works best
if you always are in the habit of smoking in the exact same place, such as a
living room looking out a window. If you move the chair to a different area of
the room, or refocus the center of the room then you can help to avoid the
temptation to smoke whenever you are sitting in the chair looking out the
window.

Tip 6. Write down your goal to quit smoking. This may seem like a minor detail
but in reality, it can go a very long way towards ensuring that you keep your
priority to quit smoking at the top of your agenda. If you just tell yourself
that you want to quit smoking, you are more likely to cheat and ultimately give
into the urge to light up again. If you have written your goal down, you are
going to be more likely to actually follow it. This goes for quitting smoking,
losing weight, changing your exercise routine or anything else. Written down
goals can improve accountability significantly.

Tip 7. Do not discount yourself. If you are absolutely certain that you can
succeed you will be much more capable of the success that you need. It is
important to believe that you can succeed. This will help you to stay strong
anytime a serious urge kicks in. If you decide to slip up consciously, you are
going to find it is much harder to gain back any slack that you have cut for
yourself. However, if you hold fast to your dedication to quit smoking you will
find that each time you have an urge it is easier to handle.

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