About 70% of smokers want to quit, and about 40% try to do so every year. However, only a small percentage succeeds in quitting (about 6%). Smoking cessation often requires multiple attempts and a lot of will to overcome cravings and disturbing withdrawal symptoms.

The main reason why smoking is difficult to quit is because nicotine causes physical addiction. The nicotine in cigarettes provides a high degree of temporary addiction. It can make you feel more alert, focused, and happy; so, quitting smoking can cause your body to crave nicotine, and you may experience physical withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and nausea.

Smokers often fall into the act of smoking as a daily habit. It may be automatic to smoke a cigarette after your morning coffee or after dinner, or to smoke with other smokers during working hours. Smoking can be a way to cope with stress, fatigue, or even boredom. Smoking may become so habitual, that to quit, you not only have to deal with the physical nicotine addiction but also get rid of the unhealthy habit.

The longer you smoke, the more it becomes part of your daily routine and lifestyle. This can make it difficult to get rid of this habit, as you not only have to quit smoking, but you also must change the way your daily routine works. It has been found that it can take up to 30 attempts to quit smoking, so the earlier you start thinking about quitting, the better.

It's important to remember that medication alone won't make you get rid of the habit. You need to be in a positive mental state and undergo lifestyle changes to help support your decision to stop smoking.

Quitting smoking can be extremely difficult for some people, but the good news is that many different methods and medications can help you:

Lozenges, inhalers, and nasal sprays offer great help. They release nicotine into your body but without the tar and toxic chemicals that come with cigarettes. This reduces your cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

There are medications that are highly effective in helping you quit smoking. Unlike nicotine replacement therapy, they do not contain nicotine, but they affect the brain's response to nicotine, reducing cravings and minimizing the impact of withdrawal symptoms.

Physical activity can help reduce cravings and ease withdrawal symptoms because exercise releases endorphins (pleasure hormones). These hormones make you feel good, reduce stress, and give you the willpower to resist cigarettes.

Discovering the many harmful effects of smoking may give you the motivation you need to quit. Here are just a few examples:

• Nearly half of chronic smokers die from a smoking-related condition.

• Smoking is the leading cause of cancer in the world.

• Smokers under the age of 40 are five times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers.