What’s Your Reason to Stop Smoking?

You can’t get too far these days with bumping into another warning to quit smoking. But while we all know how harmful smoking can be, many smokers simply don’t have the willpower or the motivation to quit. Even knowing that they are seriously shortening their lives and compromising their health is not enough of a reason for them to stop smoking.

One reason this is true is that smoking is both a physical and a psychological addiction. The physical pull from nicotine is one thing, but emotionally smoking is a tough habit to change. The bigger challenge for most smokers is this mental aspect of quitting.

In fact, for most smokers, smoking permeates almost everything they do. When they arise, they reach for their cigarettes before almost anything else. At work, their break times are opportunities to relax with coworkers over coffee and a cigarette. Watching TV, reading a magazine, social occasions, eating – just about any activity is somehow linked to smoking in the mind of a smoker.

So how do you find a strong enough reason to stop smoking? If your reason, your “why,” is strong enough, you will be able to meet the challenge and overcome the addiction to cigarettes. If, on the other hand, your reason is undefined and unfocused, you’ll be tempted to fold at the first craving.

Strong Reasons to Quit Smoking

Your health and well being are two big reasons to stop smoking. Over 400,000 Americans die each year from tobacco-related deaths. Many of these could have easily been prevented. Do you want to be just another sad statistic? Think about what the following means to you:

• Living longer – potentially adding thirteen years to your life
• Saving money – not throwing money away week after week on such a harmful expense
• Not spreading secondhand smoke to your loved ones – knowing they will enjoy being around you more when you don’t bring that stale smoke smell with you
• Setting a good example – being a role model for the youth in your life
• Enhancing your self-esteem – being able to successfully stop smoking will pay huge dividends in raising your confidence and self-esteem
• Enjoying a cleaner, healthier lifestyle – being able to increase your energy, smell more vividly, breath more deeply without continually coughing, and look more vibrant

Do any of these reasons speak deeply to you? If so, take some time to think even more seriously about it. Have a strong reason why you want to quit, and then put a plan in place to make it happen. When the going gets rough, you can remember this reason to stop smoking and not give up. Your reason will give you motivation even when you’d just as soon throw in the towel. Don’t give up – you can do it!