Quitting smoking is not the first thing you should do; it is the last step of the journey, and it will happen on its own when you are ready for it. So, you need to concentrate on the preparation for quitting smoking rather than the act of quitting smoking.

For most smokers the thought of quitting rarely crosses their minds. That is until one factor or another brings the idea to the forefront of their thoughts. Perhaps they have had a health scare. Perhaps they are finally noticing the toll that smoking is taking on their bodies. Whatever the reason is doesn’t matter. What does matter is that in actually taking the steps to quit, education and preparation MUST come before you stop.

Preparation and education is the key to everything, including quitting smoking. You wouldn’t attempt to rebuild your car’s engine just because you bought a set of tools off the shelf, or sew a dress for your daughter’s wedding after picking up your first ever sewing machine, so please don’t think that you can buy an off the shelf smoking cessation aid and you are home free. You would have just as much luck getting your car’s engine back together properly as quitting smoking. Oh sure, eventually you might get it right, but why waste your efforts when the proper information is available to help you be successful the first time.

The internet is your answer to all questions. Look at the available stop smoking programs and really compare them. Judge each program on the basis of the steps they follow. Always give preference to the ones that go about systematically by first providing information and then preparing you for the goal. Don’t get caught by catchy slogans that promise to free you of your habit in a week or ten days. Remember, easy bought is easily lost. You need to do thorough comparison shopping before you buy a program. The program must encourage you to take your time to learn and prepare as opposed to placing your faith in a product that states that there is no effort required on your part.

Your effort is most important; nothing comes without a little effort from you. And, this is all about you, so how can you not be involved in it? In fact, you should put in all your effort in the preparation stage and then leave the results to come on their own. Remember, quitting is the easy part – you just stop. It depends on the preparations you take before you quit. It is the preparations that determine your success or failure. So make sure you are ready to quit before you actually quit smoking.

Happy Quitting,

Darren Warmuth