If you are a smoker, you must have thought at least a thousand times till now that you should seriously give up the habit. Everyone around you - your family and close friends especially - must be goading you on to kick the butt. With all these pressures, it is no wonder that you might be seriously considering saying adieu to your cigarettes forever. But at the same time, something deters you. It is the question - Many people have tried and failed. So why should I succeed?

If that is your contention, then you must certainly read this article. It is true that several people have tried in vain to curb their smoking addiction, but the real reason why they failed was, they never had a genuine reason for giving up the habit. Think about it this way. Nicotine is a very powerful addictive and it causes a false sense of euphoria in the brain. When a person is under the influence of this addictive, how can he or she think of trivial things like health? Everyone is a diehard optimist. Diseases always happen to the other person, never to us. That is the way we think.

That is why threats about harm to health alone cannot deter a passionate smoker. When smoking - even though they are killing themselves with each fag - they will never consider the toll of health. Because at that moment, diseases like lung cancer and emphysema are something quite distant; something that has not yet come to pass.

Warning a smoker about health risks is like breaking your head against a wall - there will be no effect on the wall. Indeed, every cigarette pack contains a statutory warning about it, but in my knowledge it has not deterred any smoker from lighting up a cigarette.

Hence, a different approach must be used. The question Why stop smoking at all? must be answered in different ways. Now, you want to give up the smoking habit. OK. Do not think about the health repercussions that may occur in the future; but think of your current life. Is your life what you really want it to be?

Chances are, you cannot run a mile without huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. If you led an active lifestyle before smoking captured you, you will surely have noticed the depreciation in your performance now. Are you living your life to the fullest? Are you smelling the roses? I doubt you are able to, with all that smoke.

Then, have a closer look at yourself in the mirror. See those premature wrinkles on your face? Those darkened lips? And, God bless you if there really are, spots on your tongue and ulcers in your mouth? Smoking causes all of these and more. Smoking may make you look macho (what an erroneous notion!), but it will take away all your good looks and your youth too.

Even if that does not work, think about your kids. Now that is one thing that you cannot shut your eyes too. If your smoking were to take you away from earth, who would give them their share of paternal love? Trust me, several smokers have given up the smoking habit, just because they cared for their kids.

So, the next time you ask yourself Why stop smoking? give yourself these answers. I am sure you would not light another cigarette with an easy conscience after that.