Its hard to quit smoking for a couple of reasons. First, cigarettes and other forms of tobacco contain a powerful, addictive drug nicotine. Nicotine affects your brain and your body. It can:

rev you up. Like coffee, its a stimulant that makes you feel more alert.
make you feel calmer and more focused.
make you feel happier. It can act as an anti-depressant. Doctors have discovered that some smokers are depressed, and smoking is their way of taking a drug for their depression.
get you addicted. It doesnt take long for your body and brain to get addicted to nicotine.
make you feel sick and uncomfortable when you havent had it for a while.
Smokers bodies and brains get used to nicotine. Once youre addicted, having nicotine in your body feels normal, and going without nicotine feels bad. If you dont get your nicotine fix, you start feeling withdrawal symptoms. You have the urge to smoke again. Smokers are experts at keeping a steady amount of nicotine in their bodies. They smoke at just the right time to keep the cravings satisfied.

When you dont have nicotine, your body and brain get upset. They tell you to keep smoking. You feel irritable and uncomfortable. It seems like the only way to feel normal again is to smoke. Your urge to smoke to satisfy your nicotine craving can be as strong as the urge to eat or to have sex. No wonder people find it hard to quit smoking! They are addicted to a powerful drug.

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms are uncomfortable, but they don't last forever. There are ways to cope with nicotine withdrawal symptoms. You can also talk with your doctor about quit smoking medications. These can reduce your withdrawal symptoms and make it easier to quit.

Another reason it's hard to quit is that smoking is part of your routine. You develop smoking rituals that become a part of every day. You may look forward to these smoke breaks, because they give you a chance to take time out and relax. Maybe you smoke in the car, as you read the paper, or when you're out with friends. The routine of smoking is another reason why it's hard to quit.

To quit smoking, you have to build new routines. If you normally sit in your armchair and smoke, sit on the sofa instead. If you normally smoke when you want to take a break from work or the kids, find an alternative way to take a break. Go for a walk, take a warm bath, or put on a music player and "zone out" for 5 minutes. Remind yourself that your new routines may feel weird at first, but in the long run they will help you be the healthy, smoke-free person you want to be.

Overcoming addiction and changing our routine - two personal stories
Kelsi Gow, a mother of 2 and a smoker for 13 years, quit successfully by taking medication and by changing her routine: "I used medication to help me quit. It worked wonders for me. I also quit drinking and eating anything that I associated normally with smoking. I used to drink Coca Cola when I smoked, but I now just drink tea or coffee and if Im very stressed out, I find scotch mints work great in place of a smoke in my mouth."

Changing your routine can help you stay quit. Wendy Rubin, who quit after smoking for 25 years, explains how she changed her routine to avoid smoking triggers: "For me, my morning coffee was a real trigger so instead I drink tea and find that helps. I also drink lots of water. When I get a really strong craving, I may even brush my teeth or take a shower to remind myself how much better I feel without that awful lingering cigarette smell."

Hope this helps someone.

Holly