by Lori Bloom

Created on: April 03, 2009

The key to quitting smoking is that you must truly have the desire to quit. I have smoked for many years. I quit for a year once. After the year was up I found myself surrounded by friends who smoked and I decided I missed it. Now that I am in my late thirties, I have decided it is time once again to quit. This time, however, I realized that I have to change my attitude about smoking. I have to look at the reasons I should quit instead of focusing on the excuses not to. Also, it is imperative that if your partner smokes, they agree to quit with you. It is almost impossible to quit if you are around other smokers.

This article is not how to quit cold turkey, but if it works for you, go for it. Others need a little help to end their addiction to nicotine . My fiance replaced his cigarrettes with chewing tobacco, even though it isn't any healthier, it is still a way to change the habit of smoking. I decided to use Chantix, which is a pill, where when you first start taking it, you are still able to smoke for the first week. The pill works by blocking nicotine's action in the brain. By the end of the first week, your body has adjusted to functioning without the nicotine, so even if you are smoking, you can put it out after two drags and you still feel satisfied.

Everyone can list the many reasons to quit smoking because there are more reasons to quit than to not quit. The following is a list of reasons that helped me to find the motivation to quit:

1. More time with the kids because I'm not taking "smoke breaks" all the time.

2. More energy without nicotine running through my veins.

3. No more guilt about exposing the kids to secondhand smoke.

4. No more dirty ashtrays laying around.

5. No more smoke stains on the walls and curtains (this is a great time to wash down your walls and see how gross they have become from the smoke).

6. Breathing will be easier when going for walks or playing with my two year old.

7. No more raiding the ashtray for "butts" in desperation for that "fix".

8. Better self esteem for being able to overcome an addiction.

Everyone's list will be different, but the end result is the same: You will no longer be controlled by your addiction. Another important thing to remember is that drinking water helps flush the nicotine out of your system and being hydrated is one of the most important things we can do for our bodies anyway. Also, try to replace the times you would normally smoke with something else, like writing in a journal or starting a to-do list of things you've been wanting to get accomplished.

Quitting smoking may give you more years to be a friend, lover, parent, or grandparent. It is important to have faith that most of the damage to your lungs in reversable and try to not give in to the "rehab kills" theory. In the end, you will feel healthier and even smell better when you decide to quit smoking for good.

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