Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of lung disease and contributes to many of the heart disease and cancer deaths annually. The health risks are well known and the benefits of quitting numerous, however, the ability to successfully quit and intellectually evaluating the risks and benefits involved are two separate things. Quitting smoking has been often compare to kicking a heroin habit, except that the success rate of kicking heroin addiction with treatment has a higher rate of success than those quitting the smoking of tobacco. There are common characteristics that seem to follow when a person does succeed in smoking cessation. Following are some specific steps, though seemingly ritual in nature, if strictly adhered to can increase the likelihood of never smoking another cigarette again.

The very first step in quitting any addictive behavior is an honest commitment to quit. If you are going in this half hearted at best, your chances of failure are almost 100%. Once the commitment to quit is made, many people will actually choose a date to quit. In order to prove the seriousness of your commitment, the best date to choose is the same day of your decision, and to make the commitment not to smoke from that minute on a complete resolution of abstinence.

To aid your ability to resist the temptation to smoke, a complete clean up of the home to remove any traces of cigarette or other tobacco use is in order. It is often beneficial to wash all drapery and bedding, especially if you had the habit of smoking indoors, to remove residue odors, as well as to improve the cleanliness of the home. Smoke is a very dirty solid substance.

Do not do this on your own. Let your family and friends in on the fact that you have given up on cigarettes. With the support of those around you, and their willingness not to smoke around you and to give you encouragement, it can give you the extra social support that many who have failed did not have access to.

Understand that there is only one rule to smoking cessation is absolutely must be followed in order for you to be successful. Do not smoke a single cigarette. If craving become extremely difficult then you might want to contact a medical professional to discuss the use of nicotine patches or gum. While these nicotine replacements do still contain the addictive drug nicotine, the absence of other health related risks associated with ingesting smoke and other ingredients in tobacco products make them a safer alternative for you while you wean yourself off of nicotine slowly.