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Addictions are very tough to break, and nicotine addiction is one of the hardest. So first let me congratulate you for even getting to the point where you want to quit. Its a big first step.

Before you take any action, I recommend you do some thinking. Thorough mental preparation is helpful for any challenging task. Ask yourself the following questions:

What do you enjoy and appreciate about smoking? How are cigs a positive force in your life? Do they calm you down, give you social time with friends? There must be something positive about our addictions, or we wouldnt have them. Its important to recognize the good stuff because you need that information to make your best decisions.

Often our best chance of beating an addiction is to be able to replace some of what the addiction is giving us with a healthy substitute. The more you understand yourself and your behaviors and motivations, the more successful youll be when you try to change. A patient once told me that cigarettes were her best friend. Imagine how hard it was for her to let that go. In her case, a healthy substitute would be for her to either engage in social activities that provide her with a set of generic friends or to seek and establish a few close friendships that can replace the friendship awarded her by cigarettes.

People often dont let go of a habit until the negative outweighs the positive sometimes not until the negative drowns the positive. So the next step, naturally, is to ask yourself about the negative. What are the downsides to smoking? Nasty cough? Hassle from your girlfriend? Hazards to your bank account? Stinky car? Everyone is different, and each quitter has his own reasons.

Good luck to you. If you need help, come see our health educators in the classy glassy office just outside the SHAC front door. You can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, a free service provided in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or visit one of the many online quit communities.