Most members of the baby boomer generation remember when smoking was cool. All the actors smoked on television shows. Even Johnny Carson always had a cigarette in his hand as he interviewed the biggest celebrities of the time.  How were we supposed to interpret smoking? Definitely not as an unhealthy addiction, no it was cool!  How times have changed!

Who knows what society was thinking in the middle of the last century, but the message was clear. If you smoked you were suave and smooth. There were no pictures of people with wrinkly, leathery skin suffering from lung cancer. The people we saw smoking were beautiful and successful.  Now we know that smoking is very harmful for your health and the health of those around you. However, many baby boomers started smoking back in the day when it was cool. After so many years of addiction, how do you break the habit?

Believe it or not it is possible to stop smoking for good and there are many different methods to help you.  The key is to never give up no matter hard it will seem. The best things in life are often the most difficult to obtain. Isn't your health and the health of your family worth the effort?

The first thing you should do is visit your doctor. Get a complete physical and talk to your doctor about your desire to quit smoking. Often your health care provider can help you with effective prescriptions or refer you to a smoking cessation workshop or hypnotist.

Once you have decided on the method you want to use to quit, the most important thing you can do is to make up your mind you are quitting. The mind is a powerful tool in overcoming addictions. You can achieve what you tell yourself so you need to use powerful positive affirmations to help convince your body that it doesn't need to smoke.  The best way to do this is to make a list of why you want to stop smoking and why your body needs to be free of damaging smoke. Your list could include things like:

• I want to experience the true taste food again
• I want to smell the fresh scent of a new baby
• I want to walk without stopping for a breath
• I want to live to see my kids get married
• I want to smell fresh and clean
• I want to live a long and healthy life

Post this list several places around your home. Put it on the bathroom mirror, on your nightstand, by the fridge, on the dash of your car and most importantly on your cigarettes. Several times a day read the list aloud and keep it in your mind. When you feel the urge to smoke, read the list. When you feel irritable and stressed because you need to smoke, read the list.

Your mind can and will reduce the cravings for cigarettes. Soon you will find yourself smoke free and feeling great. Using positive affirmations you can overcome anything, including smoking!