With the campaign on anti-smoking getting more serious these days, a smoker might be pushed to re-think his lifestyle and considering the “Q” word — quitting.

Many smokers have tried to do this cold turkey, but withdrawal symptoms which usually come with this have made this strategy less than ideal.

For smokers who are really thinking of turning over a new leaf, take a look at these suggestions.
Read as much about smoking as you can in your free time and see why many people want you to quit. Smokers just shrug off the dangers of getting lung cancer and try as much not to think about the other harms of the habit. But it could also be that the information you know is not enough to scare you off the habit.

Did you know that in the US alone, heart disease is the leading cause of death among smokers? Lung cancer and Emphysema only come in second to it. The smoke of cigarette contains poisonous and carcinogenic chemicals. And if that’s not enough, smoking also leads to stroke, altered brain chemistry, macular degeneration, cataract, Graves Disease, Thyroid Disease, premature aging, cancers of the lips, mouth, throat and larynx, cancer of the esophagus, peripheral vacular disease, Chronic Bronchitis, Pneumonia, and Asthma among others.

Consult with a doctor regularly. Having yourself checked up regularly will motivate you more to quit. Tracking your body’s medical condition before and after smoking will really show you how you’re improving your health by dropping the habit.

You must be thinking, smoking-related diseases will take years to develop, so it’s not as if you’re done for, right? But the fact remains that smoking is addictive and as long as you keep delaying it, the more time you’re giving those diseases to grow in your body.

Can you remember when and why you started smoking? Try to justify the reason and see if it’s still as logical as it seemed 10 years ago.

Give yourself time. For some smokers, keeping a quitting journal helps them defeat their dependency. Be patient. As long as your efforts are progressive, you are on the right track.