Although smoking is a difficult addiction to kick it is an addiction that can be kicked and beating this addiction should be your number one priority in life. The effect of smoking on health can result in cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease all of which dramatically shorten a person's life span and result in one in two life long smokers dying of a smoking related disease. Do you really need any more reasons to stop smoking cigarettes.

Smoking also affects the health of those who breathe in your cigarette smoke. Second-hand smoke can lead to bronchitis and pneumonia in young children and those teenagers with parents who smoke are twice as likely to start smoking themselves. One of the best examples you can set for a child is to give up smoking yourself.

If you are thinking about stopping smoking then it is best to start with a strong set of reasons for stopping smoking which will keep you motivated and help you remain a non-smoker even when times are tough.

You also will need to decide on the method you will use to stop smoking. Some smokers will stop smoking cold turkey, others attempt to cut down gradually on the number of cigarettes they smoke each day hoping to eventually reach zero, but there are plenty of ways to quit.

Nicotine replacement therapy is one of the most popular quit smoking aids around with the nicotine patch, gum, inhaler and spray to choose from. These products supply you with a dose of nicotine via a different method to smoking and are intended to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

These products are however not quit smoking cures and although they may work for one smoker they may not work for another. Nicotine replacement therapy products also have side effects and if you suffer from a heart condition or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding then you should check with your doctor before using the patch, gum, inhaler or spray.

If you have tried nicotine replacement therapy only to find it ineffective then maybe hypnotherapy or laser therapy could help you stop smoking. These method although more expensive have helped many smokers stop smoking and if either works for you then it will be money well spent.

Finally get all the help and support you can from friends and family. Cigarette are extremely difficult to give up and the more support you have when you give up smoking and when you go through withdrawal symptoms the greater you're chance of remaining a non-smoker.