If you have a heart problem, or are at risk for one, your doctor will tell you to quit smoking right away. Even if you do not have a heart problem or signs of one, quitting can benefit your health and the health of those around you.

Quitting can be a daunting prospect for smokers, but as many now ex-smokers will tell you, it can be done and it's worth it! You are not alone!

Try these Tips and Tricks for some practical advice on how to make it through the day without a cigarette. St. Charles Mercy Hospital offers classes and support groups so you can discuss the process with people just like you. Scroll down for more information. Many people report good success with acupuncture treatments to help them stop smoking. See our FAQs on Acupuncture and Smoking Cessation.

How motivated must a person be?

It is not too early or too late for a person to stop using tobacco. You will find that people of all ages are looking for ways to quit and stay quit. Quality and quantity of life may be as important for the person who is 80-years-old as someone who is 16 years old. The desire for to quit is the common denominator. Sometimes people delay quitting to wait until their motivation peaks or their life is without complications. That’s a mistake.

In reality, most people find that motivation increases throughout recovery. A little success creates confidence and hope and leads to more success. Motivation is a skill built through experience like muscles strengthened through exercise. Enough motivation to get started is all that is required to begin recovery. The rest can come along the way.

Many people who are dependent on nicotine have tried numerous methods of abstinence. Some attempts to quit the use of tobacco are not successful because:

• Nicotine dependence is an addiction that has been socially approved until recent years.
• Many tobacco users have a “do it yourself” attitude about abstinence that keeps them from asking and accepting help.
• Recovery is a learning process, and it helps to have a reason to quit.

Dr. Viktor Frankl in his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning” implied that we can endure suffering if there is a reason/purpose in it. Quitting smoking is hard. However, staying quit is easier when the person gathers this information and formulates a PLAN OF RECOVERY. Many tobacco users omit this planning process. By failing to understand the complexity of nicotine dependence, they naively assume they can achieve abstinence on willpower alone. Relapse results frequently without applying yourself and developing a reason to remain free from the addiction. Recovery from addiction to abstinence happens when one takes small planned steps and expects some discomfort in the beginning.