One of the difficulties in trying to quit smoking is that smokers become physically dependant on nicotine. Nicotine causes a lot of different reactions throughout the smokers body (many of them very bad). What it does once it arrives in the brain is responsible for both the good feelings you get from smoking as well as the irritability you feel if you try to quit.

That's why most people experience the following symptoms when they try to quit smoking, all arising from the lack of nicotine in their blood stream: Irritability, anxiety, depression, and a craving for nicotine.

So if you really want to quit smoking, know in your heart that this time it is for good. Set your date, be committed, and write down your affirmations and scare tactics. This is the first step, and perhaps the most important.

Without a set resolve to quit, you will probably fail. If you are completely committed, your chance for success increases dramatically.

When you are trying to quit smoking, any method, whether nicotine patches, gum, hypnosis, etc., are only as productive as your willpower allows them to be. Thus, for you the decision to quit smoking must be accompanied by a will that is just as strong, if not stronger, than your current will to quit smoking.

The good news is that there are many aids to help you quit smoking. You just need to find out which one will work best for you.

If you have a limited budget, there are still many free methods that can help you to quit smoking, including a variety of methods that you can use to help cut down on your cigarette cravings.

These include quit smoking groups for men and women wanting to quit. Being in a group of people who are all trying to stop smoking can be a great incentive to stay away from cigarettes.

There are also a number of bonafide and medically proven prescription and herbal or natural compounds that can and do often help people to achieve their goal to be smoke free. Calamus and camomile are two natural cures. Ask a health professional or nutritionist for the best dosage and how to use these.

Acupuncture is best for those individuals that are heavily addicted to the nicotine, but have clearly made the commitment to quit. Hypnosis is another method, although it is recommended that you use a nicotine patch or gum along with it.

No matter what method or aid you use to help you quit smoking, there is nothing that will help more than your determination to quit. Without that determination people fail. With it, you are far more likely to succeed than the average smoker who only wants to "try" to quit.