You know smoking is one of the worst things that you can do to your body, and you know that it causes lung cancer, heart disease and cardiovascular issues, not to mention many other health issues. Simply put, every adult out there knows that smoking cigarettes can shorten their life and make their last years very difficult and painful.

However, the process of actually quitting cigarettes isn’t always easy, especially if you’ve been smoking for five, 10, 20 years or more. Physical addiction is very real when it comes to cigarettes, and even people who have decided they want to quit can sometimes find it difficult to do so for good.

Use these tips to help you kick your smoking habit once and for all. No matter how old you are or how long you’ve smoked it’s never too late to start a new, healthier chapter in your life.

Make a Plan

One of the hardest things about quitting smoking is deciding that you’re going to give up a nasty habit and then doing it. A lot of people decide that they’re going to quit one day with the best of intentions but simply can’t stick with it because they haven’t made any sort of plan.

When you’re ready to quit, give yourself a date when you’ll stop smoking for good. You don’t need to plan a goodbye smoke – doing that can be harmful and romanticize smoking – but you should give yourself a day or two to consider your options.

Sometimes simply putting the cigarettes down isn’t the best way to get over smoking for good.

Let People Know

Once you make a plan to quit smoking one of the best things that you can do stay on the straight and narrow is to let friends, family and coworkers know that you’re trying to quit. They’ll offer support, but maybe even more important than that, they’ll be watching you.

Getting over the first few days is often the hardest, and not wanting to disappoint people can sometimes be that extra incentive to help you stick with your plan.

Try Nicotine Patches

The reason quitting cigarettes is so difficult for many people is that they’re addictive. They’re addictive because of nicotine, and when your body goes without it, it’s going to go into withdrawals that are very problematic for many people.

Nicotine patches help to deliver a set amount of nicotine to your bloodstream without actually putting a cigarette in your mouth and lighting it. Over time, you can use less and less nicotine, which can allow you to permanently quit.

You may be an ideal candidate to quit smoking with nicotine patches if you have been smoking for a long time or you feel a strong physical addiction to cigarettes.