Quitting Smoking - Your Tips and Hints

1. Our Reasons for Quitting Smoking

Most smokers have a "last straw" that causes them to stub out that final cigarette that signals the start of smoking cessation.

• The Last Straw: Our Reasons for Quitting - Reader Responses
• What Was Your Last Straw? - Submission Form

The reasons we quit smoking are as varied as we are, but they all share a common thread: a wish for freedom from the chains of nicotine addiction.

2. Nicotine Withdrawal Tips

Though it can be intense and uncomfortable, nicotine withdrawal is a temporary phase of smoking cessation. Knowledge about what to expect will help you put a plan together to manage the ups and downs successfully.

• Nicotine Withdrawal Tips Reader Responses
• What Helped You Most? Submission Form

Remember that nicotine withdrawal does not last long. Use the advice of those who have been through it to help you put it behind you as well.

3. The Benefits When We Quit Smoking

Most of us think about better health and more money in our pockets when we quit smoking, but that just nicks the surface of the improvements we'll experience with smoking cessation.

• The Benefits of Smoking Cessation - Reader Responses
• What Do You Like Best About Not Smoking? - Submission Form

When truly embraced, smoking cessation transforms our lives and brings us benefits beyond what we can imagine.

4. Weight Control When Quitting Tobacco

Smoking cessation and weight gain often go hand-in-hand when we quit smoking, but they don't have to.

• Managing Weight Gain When Quitting Smoking - Reader Responses
• Your Tips on Avoiding Cessation-Related Weight Gain - Submission Form

With some education and a plan, weight gain can be minimized when quitting tobacco.

5. Healthy and Wealthy

In most parts of the world, the cost of cigarettes takes a significant chunk out of the monthly budget. When we stop smoking, it can be a boost to spend some of that money on tangible rewards that would have otherwise gone up in smoke.

• Healthy and Wealthy - Reader Responses
• How Did You Spend Cigarette Money? - Submission Form

Read how others have spent their cigarette money and let us know how you have, too.

6. Quit Smoking Role Models

Many of us have people in our lives who have inspired us to quit smoking, either through their struggle with tobacco or their triumph over it.

• Our Quit Smoking Role Models - Reader Responses
• Who Inspired You to Quit Smoking? - Submission Form

Share your story and read how others have found the determination to stop smoking with the help of their own quit smoking role models.

7. Will I Always Miss Smoking?

Nicotine addiction is a tough nut to crack, but it can be beaten. Not only that, we can go on to enjoy life without a backwards glance at our old smoking habit.

• Will I Always Miss Smoking? - Reader Responses
• What Do You Think? - Submission Form

Knowledge is power and the vehicle that can carry us up and out of nicotine addiction for good.

Use the tips and stories from those who have walked the path ahead of you to motivate you to find the freedom you dream of. And do it now -- there is no time like the present to start the ball rolling on changes that will transform your life.