We all want this quit to be the quit -- the one that lasts us a lifetime. We're looking for permanent freedom from nicotine addiction when we stub out the last cigarette that signals the beginning of smoking cessation, even though most of us doubt our ability to succeed for the long-term.

Let's take a look at some of the common misconceptions smokers have about the nature of addiction and the process of quitting tobacco that can set them up for failure.

Related:

• 4 Steps to Defeat the Urge to Smoke

• Developing the Will to Quit Smoking Successfully

_{Photo © Stockxpert}

All smokers harbor the secret hope that they will be spared the disease and death that follows nicotine addiction. We tell ourselves we’ll quit in time and somehow dodge the bullet that smoking is. But with four million people dying every year due to tobacco use around the world, the odds aren’t in our favor.

Put another way, a smoking-related death occurs somewhere in the world, every 8 seconds, 365 days a year. The sooner we remove the blinders and look carefully at nicotine addiction and the damage it causes, the sooner we can begin pull away from its lies.

Related:

• EB's List of Reasons

• The Pros and Cons of Smoking

• How Smoking Harms Us - Head to Toe

Since its introduction to the market in 2006, a number of serious concerns about Chantix side effects that involve changes in mood and behavior have surfaced. The result for many is an increasing sense of alarm about this popular quit aid.

A Reader Asks:
"I'm afraid to use Chantix because of all of the negative news I've been reading about Chantix side effects. Can you tell me what the side effects of Chantix are and whether Chantix is dangerous for me to use to quit smoking?"

Is Chantix Safe to Use?
Understanding Chantix Side Effects

More on Chantix:

• Chantix FAQs

• All About Chantix

Patience with the Process

If I were asked to describe in one sentence what most helped me when I quit smoking, it would be this:

Smoking cessation is a process, not an event.

Once I understood that nicotine addiction lets go a little at a time, I found it was much easier to roll with the punches. Past quits had always left me frustrated and feeling helpless when cravings weren't gone within the first two weeks. This time around, I relaxed into my quit and resolved to give myself the time I needed to heal, regardless of how long it took.

I'd like to introduce you to Michelle Boisvert, a moderator for the support forum here at About.com Smoking Cessation with 7 1/2 years of smoke free living under her belt. Michelle shares her perspectives on how to cope early cessation as we recover from nicotine addiction with us here:

Patience with the Process

From Michelle: "It took us many years to create the associations we did as smokers…a cigarette after waking, a cigarette after eating, a cigarette in a stressful situation, a cigarette in celebration and on and on…we smoked as an automatic response to any number of stimuli, and we did this over years."

**************

Take The Quit Smoking Monday Pledge

Healthy Monday encourages us to think of for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.

• Quit Smoking Monday Messages Archive

We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.

You can quit smoking ... and we're here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.

_{Image © healthymonday.org}