The first thing you have to do in order to be successful in your quest to stop smoking is to make a conscious choice that you have that goal. The mechanics of how you go about achieving your goal will vary among different people with some using the patch, some under going some kind of hypnosis or other therapy, and other medicinal products that are available in the market place.

As with any addictive substance, for someone who is attempting to quit smoking they will need some kind of support group in most cases. For many people just the fact of having the support of friends and family can be the catalyst that makes them stop, others may need the encouragement and accountability that is afforded through an outside support group. There are surely support groups in your area, but there are many available online as well.

Positive results can be had when attempting to quell your habit if you get friends involved in helping you to reach your goal. Having the moral support of your peers and friends is a big motivator in behavior modification which is why many commercial support groups and advertisements for stop smoking aids stress the interaction between people as being important.

For people who feel the need to use medicinal aids to help them stop their nicotine cravings there are numerous drugs available including nicotine gum, the nicotine patch as mentioned above, and other substances that endeavor to help wean the body off of cigarettes by using nicotine sources that don't cause harm to your body like smoking does.

There have been many drugs recently approved by the FDA that are nicotine free which work to free people from the nicotine habit by replacing the body's need for nicotine with a craving for something that is less harmful which is then lessened gradually to rid one of their addiction.

Additionally there have been some new anti smoking vaccines recently tested and approved by the FDA that can be included to help those who can't seem to stop any other way. This is kind of a bizarre method to me that introduces a virus in the body of the smoker that causes a reduction in the need for nicotine.

Everyone has their own reasons to stop smoking, some may be cosmetic, and some personal, but the main reason for anyone should be for good health. It is a known and proven fact that cigarette smoking is linked to a laundry list of maladies.