You've heard it all before - smoking is a bad thing and that you should kick the habit in the soonest possible time. You might have even tried quitting several times yourself yet time and again, you find yourself puffing on that "one last cigarette." Even though you know in your mind that quitting this habit would benefit you, you just can't seem to get rid of it. So what would convince you to finally stop smoking?

Think about it, whether you admit it or not, smoking is more than a habit. The longer you indulge in it, the harder it will be to let go of it. Now the worst thing about being dependent on something is the fact that you actually are losing control of that aspect of your life. Imagine this scenario: you are in a meeting and it is taking longer than you expected. The stress is taking its toll on you and all you can think of is how nice it would be to take just a drag. In this sense, you cannot seem to control the urge to smoke. Does it sound familiar? It may be just a small aspect yet the fact remains that you do not have full control of this urge. So why would you want a substance to have control over you? The only thing to do would be to get rid of the habit and take back control of yourself in this respect.

More than merely being in control of yourself and your needs, think about the people who are being affected by your dependence on cigarettes. If you have family members who do not smoke, you probably have had a discussion or two about it. This would be all the more true if you have children. So what do you do when you are at home and you feel the need to smoke? You either put your foot down and smoke in front of everybody or you sneak out into the night to take a puff or two. The former may give you a sense of control or authority at home but it does not do anything to help family relationships. In fact, it would probably cause rifts. The latter is even worse. Who would respect someone who has to sneak out to do something? Isn't that a sign that what you are doing is not a good thing?

Then there are the usual health considerations. There is no escaping it, smoking kills. Maybe not immediately but sooner or later you will feel the negative effects on your health. Climbing the stairs makes you breath heavily. You cannot run around and play with your little kids as much as you used to. Minor physical exertion takes more than its usual toll. These are only some of the things that smoking does to your body and you know it.

Faced with the stark facts, quitting is really a matter of the mind. It is up to you to make the decision. It is like having to choose between two things - your family or your habit, your control or smoking, your health or your temporary pleasure. What is your choice?