Is it easy to stop smoking? Not at all! It takes a lot of effort and hard work and unless you are really determined to stop smoking, you are not going to! Before you actually stop smoking there are several steps you have to take to prepare yourself mentally and physically to succeed in your aim. The main steps you should remember are-

Believe in your decision to stop smoking.
You already know that smoking is bad for you. The whole world knows it but the habit is very addictive. You may want to stop but your body may not co-operate with your mind. But you can try the “Health Belief Model” which prepares you to lose weight by predicting certain health behaviors seen in the general population. The program believes that the only way you can lose weight is by
 Believing you can lose weight if you can remember that tobacco smoking can and will compromise your health pretty seriously.
 You should believe that you are committed to the process of stop smoking.
 Remember that quitting smoking is much better to continuing smoking
 Take a look at the large amount of diseases that smoking can cause to the human body.

Prepare to actually stop smoking
Once you’ve actually committed to stop smoking you have to be motivated enough to pick a date to stop smoking. You should pick a specific date and label it as your “Quit Day.” Prepare a day that you know that you are mentally and physically prepared to stop smoking. Remember that this day is final for your QUIT SMOKING campaign. Prepare yourself by cleaning your room of ashtrays and cigarettes and removing everything that reminds you of smoking. Don’t interact with smokers and don’t let people smoke near you or at your home. Think why previous attempts to stop smoking did not succeed. And rework your present attempt around the pitfalls.

Use medication if necessary!
If you want to really stop smoking you have to acknowledge the fact that you will need help. Trying to get your body off the addiction is not as easy as it seems. Get in touch with a doctor to find out what will help you to control your cravings. It will not be easy so be prepared for a difficult time. Common drugs prescribed by doctors to stop smoking are Buproprion. The medication controls the urge to stop smoking but contains no nicotine.

Nicotine substitutes
Smoking is addictive and many people fall of the smoking bandwagon for the simple reason that the addiction is difficult to control. But if you don’t want to do the process all of a sudden, you can try nicotine substitutes like lozenges, patches, nasal sprays, inhalers, gums etc. all of these products work to provide your body with tapering and reducing dosages of nicotine to get your body off the addiction.

The advantages of using nicotine substitutes are –
1. They prepare you to receive tapering dosages of nicotine and that reduces the cravings and withdrawal symptoms that smokers experience when they try to stop smoking
2. It increases your confidence levels that you can stop smoking and the fact that you do not need a cigarette to complete your day.