A:  Before I had finally quit, I had tried many times and failed. The thing that made the difference was that the time had come that I just wanted to quit so badly, that I did. Until you want to quit more than you want to smoke, you won’t. And nothing will help. But, once you reach this point, nothing will stop you from quitting. If you say you want to quit, but you don’t, then you have not reached that point – no matter how much you say you have.

A couple of thoughts:

1.  Don’t say things like “I can’t.” Of course you can, and you will.

2.  It’s not as if any old day is as good as another to quit. You may be going through something particularly stressful – if so, let it pass before you try to quit.

3.  Don’t hate or berate yourself for not being able to quit yet. You are in awesome company. I doubt anyone has ever quit as soon as they wanted. And of those who have quit, they were once as frustrated as you. So you have lots in common with those who have successfully quit - you are just like them. And you will quit.

4.  If you can afford it, use Nicorette, or another one of the many products that are on the market to help you in the transition.

5.  Be as active as possible with your life. Not just to help you quit, but to have a life! This is important on many levels. Join a club, volunteer, get out more, start a hobby, exercise, get out more, work part-time, and get out more.

6.  Know this... while the first few months, or even longer, might be challenging. There will soon come a day when you will be shocked to discover that you haven’t even thought about a cigarette! (Yes, this will really happen, no matter how much you adore them in the morning with coffee, or even in the evening with a drink). Then a week will pass, then a month, and so on. And there will also come a day when just the thought of smoking a cigarette will be rather disgusting.