Everybody knows it is not a good idea to smoke, but most people find it extremely difficult to quit. No doubt, it is much easier to say you will quit than it is to actually do it. There are many good reasons to quit smoking. Pick the one that is most important to you and make it work for you. To stay motivated, you need a powerful, personal reason to quit.

For instance, if you have a family you may be most motivated to quit by knowing that in the long run the second hand smoke might negatively affect your children. Or, in case your health insurance charges you extra for being a smoker, sit down and calculate how much money you can save each year by quitting your habit. Add the amount you spend on the cigarettes itself, and you easily come up with a four digit amount.

Reasons to quit smoking

• Health damage. Besides the negative effect on the lungs, smoking also increases the risk of heart disease, strokes and causes faster mental decline.
• Impotence. Men who smoke also suffer a higher risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction.
• Premature aging. Skin changes, like leathery skin and deep wrinkling, are more likely in people who are regular smokers.
• Negative impact on physical activity. Over time tobacco users are less likely to perform well in sports.
• Sense of smell and taste suffers. Smoking has a negative effect on the taste buds.
• It smells. Even chewing gum or brushing your teeth will not eliminate the smokers’ breath. It leaves a smell on clothes and stains on your teeth.
• Smoking inside the house slowly but surely ruins your drapes/curtains, sofas and carpets.
• Danger to others. The passive smoking may hurt people living with the smoker.
• It is expensive. In a single year the average smoker easily spends over 1.000 Dollars on tobacco products. Health insurance rates may be higher.
• Last, but not least: It's getting less convenient to smoke. In many areas smoking is banned. Why go through all the trouble just to keep up an unhealthy and expensive habit?

Smoking is not so much a physical addiction, but has a lot to do with habits.
Thus, every smoker has certain triggers. Certain times, situations or places make them want to smoke. Part of becoming a reformed smoker is to understand the individual triggers and learn what to do when they arise.

Once you are aware of your triggers, you can purposefully make the smoking less enjoyable in order to reduce your cravings for it. For instance, you could set up a rule demanding you to take a walk before you can smoke. Even if you eventually relent most of the time, you will occasionally skip the usual cigarette because it is too much trouble. In the end, you have smoked one or two less than you normally would have that day.

Here are some tips how to get through the first couple of weeks when the craving is still strong:

• Make a list with all the reasons why you want to quit. Put the list somewhere where you will see it daily. When you feel like smoking get the list out and read it. This will help you to stay focused on your goal.
• Instead of thinking of quitting smoking as a torture, think of it as a gift to yourself. Think of how it will change your life, and how failing to quit will affect your health long-term. This will keep you the incentive and the rationale to kick the habit immediately.
• Because the long term goal of quitting the habit might seem impossible to do, focus on the little steps. Take things day by day. Focus on getting through just one single day without smoking.
• Plan ahead for how you will handle stressful times. For many smokers their habit serves as a form of stress relief. Have a back-up plan ready for moments like this. For instance, you can lower your stress through exercise. If you do not currently exercise regularly, begin with short walks or an easy routine and build up from there.
• When you are trying to break the smoking habit, it might help you to eat healthy snacks like prepared vegetables or seeds and nuts. Having something to do with your hands and mouth can serve as a temporary crutch to satisfy the motions of smoking. Eating these foods on a diet can help to minimize the weight that you might otherwise gain. The vitamin content and nutrients will also help your body as you withdraw from the nicotine.
• Ask your family members to get on board with your decision to stop smoking. You need to let them know that you want and need their support. Let them know you’ll more than likely be moody when you quit, and that you might not be quite yourself. It is not simple to stop smoking, so you need the support of loved ones.
• Let your friends know that you plan to quit smoking. They do not even necessarily have to actively support you, but it is good to let them know just so they can be a little considerate. (For instance, do not light up right next to you during the lunch break the day after you quit.) Plus, once you’ve quit, they can help you remain focused on quitting. This could potentially be the extra push you need to remain motivated and actually quit.
• Some people find it helpful to make peer pressure work to their advantage. You can look for a support group in your area or find support through different online forums and message boards. It might help you to compare quitting with other people. In addition, when you are in touch with people who are going through the same things you are, they can help you with the physical and emotional challenges associated with quitting. If you feel your cravings are becoming too much, call someone who has already quit for encouraging words of support. Not only does the act of talking on the phone distract you from your craving, it’s nice to know someone cares and can help you tackle the issue with someone else’s assistance.

Most people fail because they give up due to a lack of willpower. If you are aware of the difficulties you will be facing, you will more likely succeed. You can drastically increase your chances of succeeding by reminding yourself constantly of the many reasons on why you want to quit.

Purposefully make it more trouble to start again. Reward yourself, set up incentives.
If you smoke inside your home, clean your place thoroughly, once you have quit. Launder your window treatments, walls and any other type of surface coverings. Get your carpets cleaned, wash and paint your walls. This will literally give you a fresh start – it will make your home feel clean and get rid of the smell that might remind you of smoking. Plus, if money is your strongest motivator to quit, you can remind yourself of all the money you would have wasted if you started smoking again.

Once you have managed to not smoke for one entire week, reward yourself. Buy those tickets for the concert you always wanted to go to! Go to that fancy restaurant you always wanted to try!

Nobody says it is going to be easy. In fact, the typical smoker has to try three times until successfully kicking the habit and staying smoke free. Using tobacco once or twice does not automatically make you a full time user again. So, don’t give up. Forgive yourself the momentary lapse and firmly recommit to your goal again.