Quitting a habit like smoking is one of the hardest things you will ever do. For those people who have not smoked for a very long time it can be quite easy for them to kick the habit. There are some people who have the strength and willpower to just quit whenever they want but this is not always the case. This is usually easier for people who are casual smokers or otherwise only smoke at certain events.
If you smoke more than two cigarettes a day and need to have one when you get the craving, you are addicted. Just because you may have a long smoking history however, that does not mean that you cannot get over this habit and start to live a healthier life. For the most part, the longer a person has been smoking the longer it will take them to get over the habit. The first step is getting out of denial and actually admitting that you have a bad habit you want to quit.
If you can do it cold turkey all the power to you because studies even show that people who quit smoking cold turkey are much more likely to stay off it for good. You do not have to feel bad if you want to skip the cold turkey idea and get some help with kicking the habit. You could sign up with a support group for one thing where you will have the chance to meet other people going through the same thing as you. When you have people around you to talk to and who are going through a struggle just like yours, it makes it a lot easier to cope and stick to it.
They will be there to support you and give you that push when you need it. Or you may want to start going to therapy sessions where it is the same sort of idea, because you will have someone there who will listen to you and help you relieve your stress. If you need a bit of a crutch to help you out in your quest, there are some very effective stop smoking aids that can be your best friend here. Stop smoking products like the nicotine patch or the stop smoking gum will help to slowly decrease the level of nicotine in your body until you are off of it completely.