Smoking whether it be cigarettes, cigars or with a pipe is addictive and it kills. In order to stop you need help and advice. Advice is freely given but rarely followed. The best advice is not to start in the first place. Smoking is a habit like breathing - once you start it is extremely difficult to stop.

If you really want to stop then you have to get into the mindset that you do want to stop and you want to lose the habit of always holding something in your fingers. One of the main needs with smokers is the need to have your fingers working or doing something, and in many cases this is holding or manipulating a cigarette, pipe or cigar.

To assist the psychological need to always have your fingers doing something - give them something else to do such as typing, writing, drawing, an interesting hobby or even learning how to play an instrument. It is often difficult carrying out an activity with a cigarette in your fingers. There are many advertisements for items that utilize your fingers without the need for smoking and they are used as a distraction to help give up.

Nicotine - the addictive part of the smoking habit is inhaled every time you draw in smoke, It is an accumulative drug and once your brain gets used to it you cannot do without it. Most smokers do not have will power to stop smoking. This is how they started in the first place

You can go to the pharmacy or chemist and buy products that will help you stop smoking by nicotine replacement (NR). These products include nicotine, and they are nicotine or niquitin patches, Nicorette gum are amongst many and form part of a NR program.

Just a few ideas are:

1. The patches are impregnated with nicotine of a set dose to be absorbed through your skin all day long. The idea is you use one grade daily for a week or two and then go to the next lower grade until you can finally stop smoking because you no longer have the craving for nicotine. You will have been weaned off the need for the drug. There is still the hand and finger activity you will need to overcome.

2. Nicotine gum is usually of one grade and you chew it like you would any other gum and once well chewed you ‘park’ it in your cheek so the nicotine is absorbed through the cheek lining. To wean yourself off, you will need to slowly increase the amount of 'other' gum to supplement the nicotine gum until you don’t need the nicotine gum any more, or reduce the nicotine gum if you live in a country that forbids gum chewing.

3. A nasal spray contains a nicotine solution and is sprayed directly into the nose. This is used by heavier smokers where other methods have failed.

4. Microtab is a small white tablet you hold under your tongue until it is dissolved. It works by being absorbed through the mouth lining.

5. Lozenge is like a sweet you suck slowly. You do not chew the lozenge.

6. Inhalator is a plastic device shaped like a cigarette filled with a nicotine cartridge. Nicotine vapor is released as you suck. This nicotine replacement program replaces the nicotine AND the need for hand activity.

You can go to your doctor or local help groups for a program to stop if you have some illness that requires you to stop smoking (e.g. Asthma, heart disease lung cancer). Many smokers need other people to socialize with who are going thought the same process for mutual support. This is an important factor as smoking is often a social activity.

The main advantages in stopping smoking are having more money in your pocket, not smelling like an ashtray, life nicer clothes. having cleaner breath, and better health and a longer life. Smoking kills off parts of the body by its very action. Parts like your lungs, heart, blood vessels and surprisingly enough even your digestion.

Remember – we can only offer advice - it is for you to put it into practice. You have to make the first move.