Finding the Motivation to Quit Smoking

You were young and cool when you started smoking. Your friends were all smoking, and you thought it was the greatest thing when you started. You loved how it made you feel, it was a boost into adulthood, even though you were just a teenager. It was cool!

Now, as you have grown older, you find yourself increasingly one of the last people to still be smoking. Your friends have all married, started a family, and your workplace has less and less smokers that you can group with in your circle.

You are becoming the only smoker in your circle of family and friends. You are really not sure how this happened, but you are feeling increased pressure to stop-to quit.

You are really not ready, as it is such an enjoyable activity. You feel so great after that first cigarette in the morning. Never mind, that it gets you out of the house, and in the car on the way to work, but you really need it every day. It would be a huge change to even consider that first cigarette break as forbidden.

This is the challenge. You are mentally sure that the health issues are piling up. You have more days with a cough, you are out of breath when you exercise, and you are now taking high blood pressure medicine.

Your kids and wife can't sit with you when you smoke. You lose time being around them, because of your habit. Even the dog wants nothing to do with you and your smoke.

Clearly, it would be better to quit. But how? What on earth could convince your cravings to go away? How could you manage each and every day?

This is the wall that smokers have to climb. It is related to your nicotine addiction. It is the most addictive drug on the planet. Even heroin is less addictive according to most drug treatment clinics.

So don't feel so overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time. You first have to build up your strength and decide that yes, you want to quit.

This is the first step! This is the hardest step as well. If you can bring yourself to decide to quit, you have strength to tell your friends and family that you are committed to the change.

This will further your resolve, and will bring some champions with you during this process.

You should begin to think about the fact that you are going to quit. You are building up your strength for the day, and how you will plan your steps to quit.

Until then, this is all you must do. You cannot quit until you have built enough resolve up to find strength to the challenge.

Feel the power behind your decision. It is the most powerful one you can make.