Anyone who has smoked for a number of years comes to a point where they really want to quit. In fact, they’re desperate to quit. That’s when they find out just how addicted they are. Because even though they have really good reasons, and a lot of motivation to quit, they can’t.

Has this already happened to you? Have you already had the experience of wanting to quit because the new baby was on the way? Or your new boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t smoke. So you don’t want to anymore either? Or maybe you’re just tired of seeing so much of your hard-earned cash literally go up in smoke!

Whatever your reason for wanting to quit smoking, good intentions are usually not enough. Nicotine addiction is so strong, that you’ll need all the help he can get. The good news is, there’s a lot of help available. You have a lot of good quit smoking methods and products to choose from.

Quitting smoking is really a two-pronged process. You have to deal with both the physical nicotine addiction, and the psychological habits that you have created around smoking. Let’s call them your “smoking rituals”.

Everyone who has smoked for any number of years has actually built a whole set of smoking rituals that are unique to them. One of the reasons it’s so difficult to quit smoking is that the rituals become self reinforcing. What exactly does that mean?

It means that when you first began smoking you developed a set of habits, or actions, that you used every time you lit up your cigarette. And these are things like having a favorite ashtray, preferring a particular brand of cigarettes, using matches instead of a lighter, or always buying a red or a yellow lighter.

Now think about how many cigars or cigarettes you smoke every day. Do you smoke one pack a day? That’s 20 cigarettes. So that’s 20 times a day that you use your red lighter, or you look at that gold and white cigarette package. And then there are all of the habitual places and times that you smoke. You have a cigarette sitting in your favorite chair, or you light up after every meal.

So after even one year of smoking, do you really wonder why every time you see your cigarette lighter, or you finish a meal, it just feels natural to have a cigarette? In fact, it feels uncomfortable not to have one. And we’ve only been talking about your behavioral habits.

When you quit smoking cigarettes, you also have to face your nicotine addiction. And the physical addiction to nicotine is as strong or stronger than a physical addiction to heroin. The good news about that is: once you stop putting nicotine into your system, most of it flushes out within a couple of days.

Quit smoking drugs, like patches and pills and nasal sprays, are intended to help you get through the physical withdrawal period. They’re supposed to help reduce the nicotine cravings, and you’re supposed to gradually taper off from them. They work about 20% to 30% of the time for long-term smoking cessation. But if you talk to people who have successfully quit smoking for 10 or 20 years, you’ll probably find that they used self hypnosis at some point to help them stop smoking for good.

Nicotine is an incredibly addictive substance and once you have started the smoking habit it is a very difficult one to break. Sometimes however, it’s not just the cravings that make it hard but the general lack of motivation to stop in the first place.

With this in mind here are 5 good reasons to get you motivated to quit and help you towards a healthier and more rewarding life…

1 – Look after yourself and considerably reduce the risk of serious, often fatal diseases such as heart attack and stroke.

2 – Enjoy your life more by having much more cardiovascular stamina to do the activities that you enjoy even if this is just playing in the park with your children for instance.

3 – Smell better. The smell of smoke gets everywhere, on your skin, on your clothes, in your hair and it even permeates the furnishings in your house.

4 – Take more control over your life. Have you ever driven half way to work only to have to turn around because you have forgotten to bring your cigarettes?

5 – Just think of all the money that you will save by quitting. Use the money to buy new clothes, treat your partner, upgrade your computer, treat yourself to a nice meal in a fancy restaurant more often or put it towards a family vacation. The list is endless and it’s surprising just how quickly the money can mount up.

Of course these are just some of the reasons why you should quit smoking but I hope that they have given you the motivation to at least give it a shot.

Everybody knows that each stick of cigarette is a small stab at your life. More than four thousand poisonous substances in cigarette exists. Lung damage is absolutely inevitable and lung cancer is also likely.

Another reason why some smokers quit smoking is because each smoke seems to be a waste of money at a time when each dime is valuable. The accumulated amount of cigarettes purchased is like your money burnt. There is certainly a lot more productive and healthier things to spend money on.

If one does not care about his or her own health, then he should think about the health damage he or she is doing to others who live near him or her. The fact is that second hand smoke is even more hazardous than first hand smoke. Second hand smoke stays a longer time in the air, invisible and unnoticed. Those who live around the area cannot escape breathing it in. Thus, smoking at home will also increase lung illnesses such as colds, and cancer to everyone living in the same house such as family and friends.

Aside from health reasons, it will also damage your look too. Smoking is proven to rob one’s skin of its health. It makes one prone to pimples and other blemishes. In time, it will make one’s skin age, wrinkle, sag, and wear out faster than it would normally do.

Personal reasons for quitting abound. Some people have been asked to quit by their loved ones or family, whom are of course worried as well as discomforted. Smokers who really want to quit may have had it with the ridiculous and vicious cycle of addiction. It really affect’s one’s self image.

It does not really matter what the main reason for quitting smoking is, the most important thing is to quit starting right here and right now. It might be tough for a start. It might even be tougher if the person is going through some issues right now since cigarettes are always used as a crutch to help you get on the day. But really, after this, you will find that you are a better person with a cleaner and clearer perspective.