How to Quit Smoking in the Real World

At this time of year, with New Year's Eve and the inevitable New Year's resolutions looming, many people will be thinking about quitting smoking. Today, some 45 million Americans smoke, and of that number, most have tried to quit or hope to quit someday. Just about all of them know how tough quitting can be.

How do you quit smoking? That is a question I tried to answer for over twelve years. I've read all the books, literally-except for the ones that are just about how to quit smoking without gaining weight. Hey, if I were all that concerned about my weight, I'd probably be worried enough about my health not to smoke in the first place, or I'd be willing to risk gaining a few pounds to spare myself an agonizing death from lung cancer.

Yes, I've read all the books. I've tried virtually all the techniques, and until December 2004, nothing worked for me. That was when I finally did it for real-not just for myself, but for all of us out there who deep down don't believe we can ever escape the slavery of cigarettes. I had seen people quit smoking, so I knew there had to be a way. I finally realized that it's not a cookie-cutter kind of thing. What works for one of us may destroy another. Nonetheless, I've discovered a few tips that seem to be universal-things that help most people on their journey to the smoke-free life.

5. Pick a date: It probably seems obvious that you need to choose a date to quit smoking, but too many people just try to stop smoking randomly, without any advance notice or preparation-and almost all of them fail. There are people out there who aren't strongly addicted to nicotine or emotionally attached to cigarettes. These rare souls can just toss their smokes in the trash and never look back, but these folks are in the minority. The rest of us need to plan our quits. And planning is something that you need to take seriously.