There is nothing more valuable than stop smoking advice. According to advice from the Mayo Clinic, if we are thinking of quitting smoking or giving up tobacco products, we have to begin a completely new lease on life – "The better trained we are, the higher the likelihood of success." Preparation will become our first big step, as it prepares us for the emotional distress that follows when we give up smoking. And believe me, the longer we have smoked the more distress we will have.

This is the time to begin listening to advice around us. Several sources of advice are: the anti-smoking clinics, self-help groups, family members, and friends. Through them, we will learn how make a plan, set a date, and choose the right treatment to take.

Some advice can keep us away from products whose efficacy is doubtful, or help us compare their results for helping smokers. These include various combinations of herbal supplements, vitamins, and homeopathic aids. Many smokers swear they work, and they may have – for them. But for me, it has always been best to accept the help of a professional counselor or a friend who has given up smoking. You can also ask your local doctor for help.

All of these individuals can advise you on the advantages and disadvantages of using different forms of nicotine replacement therapy. Based on this advice, we can then choose nicotine gum, a nicotine inhaler, or maybe a nicotine patch. Among other things, I have found out the importance of removing ashtrays, lighters, or any other objects that can remind me of smoking.

We can even consider an anti-smoking pill like Zyban or an anti-smoking shot that many programs recommend. We can even use some of the non-medicinal alternatives that help people to quit smoking. For instance, we can join a smoking cessation program where a counselor will use behavioral therapy to help us understand why we began smoking and stayed smoking so long, and then let the counselor help us overcome the habit. Similarly, hypnosis can increase our negative feelings about smoking, strengthening our resolve to quit. Our counselors can also tell us as to how acupuncture can help us combat withdrawal symptoms or why filters that reduce nicotine and tar are not effective solutions.

You especially stand to gain if you failed the first time. Most people that quit previously did so by stop taking their medication too early. Most people who use the free telephone quitlines know this was a bad idea before they quit, making this system the best way to stop smoking. The ACS, or 1-800-ACS – 2345 line helps people find "quitlines" help in their state or area. When smokers relapse into smoking again, they need to review their reasons it happened, and then work on a better plan for the next time around. A smoker's goal is to find their own support system and their own techniques.