Yes, I was a smoker, about a packet a day every day for 15 years. And probably for 14 of those 15 years I really wanted to give up. To be honest I dont think I enjoyed smoking, I was addicted to it and had no choice, or so I thought. Having tried to give up numerous times over those years, I have finally overcome my addiciton to nicotine. Here are a few tips which helped my give it up for good, I hope it helps someone to do the same.

FACT: smoking will kill you in the long run, not to mention the problems of passive smoking which can effect your loved ones. Why on earth do we smoke then? It's quite simple, Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, a drug that is addictive, and with all addictive drugs, you will find it extremely difficult to give up. The end result of this drug is countless throusands of deaths by various forms of cancer and other illnesses. In my opinion not a good way to go!

Just stop and look at what is actually in a cigarette besides nicotine. It really is frightening to actually see what you are drawing into your body.
Nicotine is a highly addictive drug which affects our nervous system, speeding up the heart and causing higher blood pressure.
Tar, a substance that collects in your lungs and can cause cancer and asthma. Have you noticed smokers tend to cough more than non smokers, its the tar building up inside you.
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas with no smell. It is found in car exhaust fumes, leaking gas heaters and burning cigarettes. Carbon monoxide prevents the blood taking up oxygen from the lungs. If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day you will have around 10% less oxygen in your body. This leads to low energy levels, shortness of breath and tiredness.

This question is probably the most important question to ask yourself. Having asked myself this question multiple times over the past 15 years, I have found that only you can decide when it is time to break the habit. Your doctor will tell you, your family will too, there are advertisements on the TV, hell, even the packet of cigarettes have a warning on them, but only you will know the right time to do it. The day will come when you realise you cant keep up with the kids in the backyard, you are exhausted after a run on the beach, someone you know has been told they have cancer. Something will click inside you and in your mind you know you have to do it.

There are quite a few ways to give up smoking. With the introduction of nicotine patches more and more people are giving up. Hypnotism is now available, Pills are available that will work for some people, you can cut down your daily smoking a little a time, Electronic cigarettes are available, I even tried the healthy cigarettes from the health shop - they dont contain nicotene and taste like honey. Acupuncture is another way to break the habit.

First up was the patches from the local chemist. After a week of patches, there seemed to be no change in my desire for a smoke, I crossed them off my list. A friend of mine had been to a hypnotist and although being a very skeptical person, made an appointment, payed my $120 dollars and had a go. No effect whatsover for me, but as the doctor explained, it will work on certain people - I guess I was not one of them. Next step for me was to have a cigarette at certain times of the day, and continue until I was only smoking one to 2 a day and then give up. But the addiction was too strong and again I failed. Quickly running out of ideas, it finally dawned on me. I needed a reason to give up. Talking to my family helped a great deal here. We decided that if I gave up smoking, then in return one of things that I have wanted to do for years I could do. It doesnt sound much, but if I didnt smoke, I could join a sporting group I had always wanted to do, but never had the time because of my children growing up around me, working, family committments and such.  It was simply playing golf every Saturday for 4 hours. I know it doesnt sound much, but it was this mindset that set me on my path of breaking the habit. Everytime I play golf it is a reminder to me that I have given up smoking and is a wonderful feeling of achievement for me.

Here is how i did it. No doctors, acupuncture, patches, pills - I did it cold turkey. Once My decision had been made to stop smoking (and start playing golf) and I had my mind in the right place it wasnt so bad. Over the years I had tried different tactics to beat smoking. This is what is settled on. And it's not rocket science either, it's simple will power. Think about it for a minute. I smoked 20-35 a day, but at night when I was asleep for 8 hours or more would not even think about smoked. It does prove a lot to me that it is 50% habit and 50% addiciton.
1. Do not keep even one cigarette anywhere where you know you can get your hands on it.
2. If someone offers you one, dont take it, not for one drag
3. When I wanted a cigarette in the morning after getting up, I traded it for a simple old fashioned glass of water. Dont know why, but it is all part of breaking the habit in my mind.
4. Chewing gum, always had a packet on me
5. Dont laugh here, but oranges helped a great deal. Apparently the Vitamin C in oranges have the same reaction to the brain as nicotine, so when I had a craving for the cigarette, I would eat some orange and believe it or not, it seemed to work.
6. When the cravings start and I really felt like a cigarette more than anything else, I would take 3 deep breaths, and yes the more oxygen you get to the brain, the less the craving would be.
7. Sleep, Over the first few weeks I slept as much as I could. Think about it, 8 hours sleep and every night and no cravings, why not try and get a few naps in from time to time?
8. Pine Nuts, Have a packets of these at your desk and nibble on them when you feel the need to light one up.

Haven't had the urge for a cigarette for 2 years now. And yes, I still play golf every weekend! Some people may laugh at the way I gave up smoking, but I think the key for me was the fact that I gave myself something in return. I also gave myself no excuses like before - "The patches dont work" "I'll go get acupuncture soon", if you think about, there was usually some reason why it didnt work in the past. I think the mind is more powerful than we think, and if you can cancel out all the excuses in your head about why you cant give up, you are more than half way there. Well, cross my fingers, make a wish, say a prayer that I never take it up again, and hopefully this will help someone else.  I'd love to know any more ideas anyone has about giving up, leave me a comment. I'm just going out for a...... coffee!