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Quitting smoking is much more difficult than most might imagine. Of the thousands of people who try to quit each year, only a few remain successful in their fight against nicotine. Most smokers quit for a period of time, only to regain their habit after a brief separation. In fact, it is the first few months which prove the most critical, "Most patients relapse within the first six to 12 months of a smoking cessation attempt," (Mallin, 2002). Through other people's failures, physicians have also discovered that quitting without any plan of action leads to an even higher percentage rate of ex-smokers succumbing to their old habits. An overwhelming 95% of smokers who quit without implementing any sort of program to assist in their endeavors, actually stay smoke free, (Reynolds, 2002). These drastic figures attest to the importance of formulating a plan unique to one's position as the most efficient way to quit smoking. More important to creating that plan, is the eventual follow through.

The adverse health affects are a justifiable reason to quit smoking. An astounding 90% of lung cancer is directly associated with long-term smoking, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Other adverse health risks include cardiovascular disease, and other respiratory diseases. These haunting reminders of the adverse affects of smoking only increase as the user smokes for a longer period of time. Both lung and heart disease rates for smokers explode as smokers continue smoking throughout their lives. The risks just get higher as the years continue to pile up, "If you smoke for a lifetime, there is a 50% chance that your eventual death will be smoking-related - half of all these deaths will be in middle age," (BBC News 2003).

I am now almost thirty years of age, and have been smoking for at least ten years. As I have continued to smoke over the years, I have added to my risk of being forced to endure the harmful affects related to cigarettes. Rather than continuing such a harmful habit, I have decided to change my behavior and lifestyle and so erase nicotine and tobacco from my life. I now realizing through assessing my need for change, (DiClemente, 1991) that I don't have much of a choice if I want to prevent myself becoming one of those terrifying statistics. I have found myself in the passing through the contemplation stage and now in the preparation phase of my desired change, (Mallin 2003). I no longer believe that the affects of smoking are overrated or that they will never extend to disrupt my life,