I don't think there is one definitive method of how to stop smoking. Cold turkey, hypnotism, nicotine replacement etc. are all perfectly valid ways of kicking the habit. Horses for courses. What all methods have in common is that the smoker needs to be fully comitted to stop at the outset. The most important thing is to really want to stop smoking. You can then think about how to stop smoking. Here are a few things to think about that might just get you to that point:
 

1. Picture the consequences of continuing to smoke:

• You will most likely die prematurely of lung cancer, stroke, coronary or other smoking-related diseases.
• In the long term your lungs will look like those on the disgusting pictures we have surely all seen. They won't be working very well. You will be in constant discomfort and a burden on those around you, including and especially your family.
• In the medium term you will experience all sorts of unpleasant and inconvenient conditions (for you and those around you), such as coughing, phlegm, etc. Physical activity will become more and more difficult.
  
• Right now, you will continue to broadcast an aroma of stale tobacco, your teeth and fingers will be a nice yellow hue, your hangovers will continue to be ten times worth than those of your non-smoking friends.
• You will be behaving unsociably by continuously having to "nip out for a fag" at the pub.
• Fag-ends and ashtrays, not to mention stale smoke will add a nice bohemian touch to the décor and ambience of your home.
• You will continue to set fire to a more or less significant portion of your weekly budget.
• Romantically, you will be a candidate only for the most desperate members of the opposite sex.
• The list goes on...

2. On the other hand consider the massive upside of giving up:

• If you have a good bath, brush your teeth, scrub your hands and wash your clothes, your personal aura will be that of a non-smoker immediately.
• Clean out the ashtrays, open the windows and vacuum your home thoroughly, and your personal environment should also freshen up considerably on day one.
• Socially, you will not have to leave your friends standing in mid-conversation, just so you can satisfy your craving. You will become more popular.
  
• Your hangovers won't be nearly as bad as they used to be.
• Within the first week you will be feeling physically better and your energy levels will be up considerably. Not to mention the psychological boost that your successes so far will give you.
• You will find an extra few quid left over at the end of the week. Believe me: at a packet a day that very soon adds up to something quite significant!
• Your sex-life should improve: not only will you be more attractive to any potential partners, but you will have more energy, too.
• You will be FREE from addiction. A very empowering feeling.
• Coughing and phlegm will improve in the medium term.
• Here's the big one: your lungs will actually start to re-generate and mend themselves! They will start to work much like those of a non-smoker. Your risks of all the major smoking related diseases (lung-cancer, heart disease and stroke) will all drop significantly within the first year of giving up smoking. And you will feel these health benefits.
• You give yourself a chance of living the life your maker intended for you, without cutting it pathetically short.

You've got to admit: it's a no-brainer!

 

3. Conviction and commitment: Having come to the conclusion above, it's now decision time. You have to say to yourself that the only logical thing to do, is to stop smoking immediately. This requires total conviction and commitment. No good saying, I'll try and cut down and see how we go, or similar. You must be ready not to touch tobacco for the rest of your life. Don't look at that as a chore or as something negative. It's the opposite: you should feel liberated from something that has had an illogical hold over you for far too long, for frankly very little pleasure in return.

 

4. Now is the most difficult time. It gets easier all the time. Some helpful facts:

• The symptoms of chemical withdrawal (the cravings) peak in the first 72 hours after that last drag. If that was yesterday evening, you're already considerably into that period. Just think: Just three days (and nights, so really only, say 50-odd hours) and you will be over the worst. You may want ot avoid going out socially for this time as that might make things more difficult, especially if alcohol is involved. During the week is probably better than at the weekend.
• Each individual craving only lasts a relatively short time, normally less than 10 seconds. Count to 10. If you can survive that short time, they will leave you alone for a bit.
• The breaks between individual cravings will become longer and longer. So, you're winning all the time. Willpower is needed, but less and less as time goes by.
  

Hopefully, this will help you along the way of quitting. It's the single best thing you can do for yourself. If you do not succeed, check out www.cannotstopsmoking.com where you'll find an electronic cigarette that gives you the nicotine hit and the smoking experience without the downsides.