This article was written by Support

So many people struggle through a smoking cessation plan only to give up. Quit smoking for good isn’t easy, but it can be done.  As Mark Twain said, “Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.”

Maybe you’ve tried to quit, too.

Why is it so difficult to quit smoking for many people?

The answer is nicotine, a highly addictive drug found naturally in tobacco.  A smoker becomes physically and emotionally addicted to nicotine.  Smokers must deal with the physical, mental and even social dependence in order to remain smoke free.
Ultimately the only way to quit smoking is to quit. Successful quitting is a matter of planning and commitment, not luck.  There is no one way to quit.  A lot of smokers prefer to quit completely, all at once.  They may smoke until the day they’ve decided to quit. Or they may smoke fewer cigarettes over one or two weeks leading to their designated day to quit.

Another way involves cutting down on the number of cigarettes you smoke each day.  With this method, you slowly reduce the amount of nicotine in your body. You might cut out smoking cigarettes in the car, during work hours, or you might decide to smoke only so many cigarettes at certain times of the day.  Make a decision for your own plan.
The next important step is to pick your day to quit smoking.  Pick a date and mark it on the calendar. Then make your decision public. Tell friends and family about your decision to quit and the day that is scheduled to happen.

Now you must destroy the evidence. Get rid of all cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays in your home, car, and workplace.  Stock up substitutes such as gum, carrot sticks, hard candy, cinnamon sticks, sunflower seeds, straws, or toothpicks.
Find yourself the best support possible.  This could be a group class like Nicotine Anonymous.  Sign up now. Maybe a friend or family member who successfully quit is willing to help you.  A buddy system has been known to work well. Find someone who wants to quit at the same time you do.  Make an agreement to call each other when one feels the urge to light up.

If you choose medication as a support option, make sure you take your doses as prescribed by your doctor. Some people are able to quit on their own, without the help of others or the use of medicines.  Many smokers find it hard to almost impossible to break the social and emotional ties to smoking and get over nicotine withdrawal symptoms all at the same time.

Change your social calendar.  Practice saying, “No thank you, I don’t smoke.”  Ask people you know who still smoke to not smoke around you or leave their cigarettes out in the open.  If you know you’re most tempted to smoke while drinking coffee or enjoying a glass of wine, you may have to temporarily give up those treats until you’re sure you quit smoking for good.