Remember: there are only two good reasons to take a puff once you’ve quit.

1) You’ve decided that you want to go back to your old level of consumption until smoking cripples and then kills you, or

2) You’ve decided that you really enjoy withdrawal and you want to keep repeating it over and over again.

If neither of these options truly appeals to you, then the solution is simple…

DON’T EVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

Smoking cessation is hard work at times, especially early on. Considering the benefits of quitting, it’s well worth it to dig your feet in and give it all you’ve got. Remind yourself daily about why you want to quit smoking, and picture yourself as a contented ex-smoker, free of the need to light up every hour on the hour.

As a smoke-free veteran, what are some of the benefits of quitting smoking that you’ve experienced?

Sometimes people may claim that quitting smoking isn’t really a big deal. They say it when they have stopped for awhile, maybe even just a day. But it’s not smoking consistently and forever that’s the real meaning behind quitting smoking.

Knowing how quitting can benefit you is a strong reason to stay quit. The longer you remain smoke-free, the longer you will benefit from not smoking. Even not smoking for 20 minutes, your blood pressure will return to normal.

Over the course of time following your quit, chances are that you’ll be tempted to smoke again because you once knew how “good” it felt to smoke. Your nicotine may be long gone from your body. You do not have physical addiction to cigarettes anymore, but the psychological and habitual addictions may remain for many years to come.

What ideas do you have to remind yourself how bad smoking was for you? What have you done that might help others who are trying to ward off the nicotine demon?