It's quite a savage irony. We all know our Governments and authorities do a lot of things we don't want. One of the few things we agree our Government should be doing is helping people to quit smoking. The cost to us all - individually and collectively is huge. Yet the sad truth is much of the money and effort spent is wasted.

Now I don't want for a second to belittle the efforts, commitment, desire or passion of those people involved. But I know from personal experience as well as that of dozens of friends that there is a better way.

Every smoker knows the agony of trying to stop smoking and failing. We psyche ourselves up for it for days, putting it off and putting it off until finally we stub out that ‘last' cigarette. With huge amounts of willpower we resist the longings and cravings. Maybe we try nicotine gum, or herbal cigarettes to see if they help. Sooner or later though the majority of us fail, or those that succeed only do so after a period of cravings and sufferings - of obsessing with cigarettes but choosing self-denial.

Why do most people fail? Why is it so difficult? Because we aren't perfect, our willpower can't last forever. Using willpower to stop smoking only works for the small percentage of us who have incredibly strong willpower. The rest of us simply can't keep it up.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on Earth. There's nothing wrong with us, it's just our willpower isn't designed for such a prolonged, difficult use as nicotine withdrawal. And almost all stop smoking programs, promote the willpower method of quitting (or as I call it the agony method).

So what is the alternative? How can we stop smoking without willpower? How I describe it is there is basically a ‘switch' in our minds. A switch that once turned on enables you to stop smoking instantly, effortlessly and even enjoyably. And you don't need to be hypnotized to do it.

I remember well before I tried this method. I didn't believe it could work. I didn't think anyone could tell me anything about smoking I didn't already know. I was wrong. But boy did it work, just as promised. I stopped, and I even enjoyed it.

There are two methods I know of to flick this switch and quit smoking easily. The first is Allen Carr's method. This I and many of my friends have used to great effect - as have millions in the UK and elsewhere. I've bought many copies of this book for friends and every single person I know who has read it has succeeded. The second is a great e-book (the link is earlier in this article) which you can download instantly for what I've heard nothing but great reviews about.