20 Reader Tips to Stop Smoking for Good

Are you among the 70 percent of smokers who wish you could quit? Then you probably know firsthand that quitting smoking is not easy, and usually requires multiple attempts before you successfully stop. But quitting smoking for good is possible: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, about 48 million adults are former smokers; there are more former smokers in the nation than current smokers.
And many of them are Everyday Health Facebook fans, who recently shared the strategies that helped them kick butt. Here are some of our favorite motivational tips and inspirational stories.

Keep an Inspiring List

"I smoked two packs a day from age 15 to 35 and quit cold turkey 15 years ago. I wrote down all the reasons for quitting and looked at them several times a day. I kept a running total of how much money I was saving. I kept lots of hard candies. I scrubbed my house and car so they smelled good. And I walked when I really needed a smoke. The first three weeks were miserable. The next year was challenging. The second year I realized how much better I felt and freer I was." — Sharon Blavier Hargrove.

Start a Healthy Hobby

"I gave up smoking and picked up running. The fitter I got, the less I wanted to ruin that feeling by smoking." — Janice Gadd.

Find a Go-To Healthy Snack

"The hand-to-mouth habit is hard to break; hence why people typically gain weight, so I recommend almonds to snack on." — Tara Smith Caron
"I used lollipops at first but then I switched to baby carrot sticks because I didn’t want to put on weight. I never even noticed that my pants were getting tighter until I couldn't get into them. I have gained a lot of weight since the day I quit, but I would take that because dieting is a lot easier and less drastic than dying." — Celeste Lamasa.

Hang With Non-Smoking Pals

"Quitting is easy when you hang out with people who don’t smoke." — Erica Field
"I had to stay away from people who smoked and never picked up [a cigarette] again. Just like any other addiction, you can't have just one. I’ve been smoke-free for 10 years." — Joan Campbell Kramer.

Stop When You're Expecting

"I quit when I got pregnant. [It was] easy, because it wasn't about me... It was about the little baby growing inside of me." — Casey Strabley
"I smoked but would stop while I was pregnant and start again after the baby was born. But when I got pregnant with my third baby, I took one last hit and never smoked again. My babies’ health is too important. When you smoke it’s on your clothes and your hair and I didn't want my kids breathing that. My baby also had really bad ear infections and smoking would've made things worse. My kids are the reason I quit." — Tiffany Castile.

Use the Patch

"I smoked for 15 years, quit cold turkey a few times, then I wound up starting again, so the last time I really wanted to quit — which makes the difference; you have to want to quit — I used the patch. It’s been five years since I quit, and I can't stand the smell of the smoke on people. That's what keeps me from starting again: I don't want to smell like that!" — Kimberly Campbell.

Rely on Your Faith

"I smoked for 17 years and started getting sick of the smell all over everything! I prayed the night before my birthday that he would take [cigarette cravings] from me. When I awoke on Dec. 7, 2009 I didn't smoke again and haven't wanted to since. I saw too many of my loved ones die from cancer and refused to let that take me too!" — Patrice Grant
"I prayed and asked God to take away the desire to smoke. I used patches and chewing gum. It's been 20 years and I have not smoked another one. Now I can't stand to even smell them!" — Mary Hall.

Seek Out Support

"I quit cold turkey, but I was successful because of two co-workers who were supportive. They brought me things to chew on and would come take me walking. I don't know if I would have made it without them." — Sandy Akers.

Read a Helpful Book

"I read The Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Allen Carr … It worked for me and a few of my friends." — Amanda Gill.

Consider Your Cancer Risk

"[I stopped] cold turkey! My best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and it [spread] to her bones. When the cancer went to her brain, I quit — for myself, and my son! Watching her slowly die was one of the worst things I ever had to do. But I had to be there for her. If that wasn't enough to make you want to quit, I don't know what would! It’s been five years, and I crave a cig once in a while. I breathe in and out think of something different and then it’s gone!" — Pam Goodwin McGee
"I quit cold turkey five years ago. My grandmother passed away from cancer and emphysema; watching her suffer and smother was all I needed." — Dana Brantley McMullan.

Quit for Your Kids

"I gave up [smoking] 25 years ago when my 4-year-old was imitating me with a cigarette while she was playing with her dolls! I was a pack-a-day smoker, and am happy I quit. Our mind is a powerful thing ... make up your mind and stick to it!" — Simona Vasquez
"I quit July 1982 after my 5-year-old son came into kitchen pretending to "smoke like mommy does.” Immediately threw out the rest of the pack, and have never looked back. It can be done. Where there is a will, there is a way!" — Eileen Kaye Carter.

Stop for Your Grandkids

"I smoked for 40-plus years when my grandson started visiting regularly, and everyone who was a smoker had to go outside. There was no smoking around my angel! I realized there is no cigarette worth more than my grandson, and dirtying my lungs was no longer a priority; my grandson was. It’s been three years now, and oh don’t get me wrong, it was very hard and sometimes I crave a cig. But I want to be able to breathe when playing with my little boy. Look at what’s important to you — a cigarette or your life!" — Deborah Irene Green Beecham.

Go One Day at a Time

"Getting through that first day was hard. Giving up the morning smoke was impossible — it made my day unbearable. Finally [on the day I ultimately quit] I allowed myself to have the morning smoke. Once I had one "day" under my belt, it was an investment that made the following days easier." — Thomas G Schell.

Pick a Milestone Birthday

"Last January, I quit after smoking for 16 years. I had always said I would quit before I turned 30, which I just did a few weeks ago. I no longer enjoyed it, so I waited until the cravings were just absolutely unbearable, and I would smoke a part of a cigarette. After a few re-lights they would taste terrible, and I would get nauseated and light-headed. After three days of this, I found I just couldn't stomach the thought of smoking, even though I wanted it. I was done." — Abby Sheetz.

Consider Hypnosis

"I went to a hypnotist on July 16, 1991, and haven't smoked since." — Connie Connell Ingersoll.

Change Your Outlook

"I just realized that I'm far too precious and valuable to be poisoning myself. Once I started looking at things that nourish my body, mind, and spirit versus things that are toxic to it, I began to have a great deal of love for myself and choose not to fill my body full of toxins. Self-love is good motivation. I just finally decided to be my best friend." — Dezarae Starnes.

Try Toothpicks

"I had promised myself I would quit at 50, which I did. I chewed cinnamon toothpicks! Just to make sure my lungs were healing I participated in a British Columbia Lung Cancer Project one year later. The test confirmed that I had the lungs of a 47-year-old with no cancer — [quitting] was so worth it!" — Sheryl Beach.

Keep Yourself Busy

"Someone told me whatever you do, don't keep smoking after age 40. At age 38 I quit cold turkey on January 1, 1990. That following December, I gave birth to my beautiful daughter, my only child. I substituted cigarettes with cough drops and a lot of coffee. It was very hard but I got through it. One thing I do remember, I couldn't believe how much more time I had by stopping. You have to keep yourself busy." — Catherine V. Ackerman
"I [haven’t smoked] for 10 years now. I just changed my routine. I put cigarettes out of reach where I would have to think before lighting up. [I made myself wait] so gradually the craving would diminish, but it was rough at first. And I did have a couple of puffs, which made me sick, and so I didn’t do that anymore. The best thing is keep your hands busy and be committed. If you don't have the commitment to doing it, you are not gonna make it." — Tonie Lesia Dalton.

Distract Yourself With Candy

"I smoked for about 20 years and about five years ago I took the first step and stopped smoking indoors (my house, other peoples’ homes, etc.), which helped me to cut down. Last November I decided one day to quit. I had smoked my last cigarette on the way home from work the night before and told myself I wouldn’t buy anymore. So I bought myself a bag of Dum-Dum suckers, and would take them to the places outside where I normally smoked. Within two weeks the cravings were practically gone, and I have been nicotine-free for a little more than six months now!" — Traci L. Henry.

Learn From a Health Scare

"I collapsed at home from an asthma attack. (Yes, I was stupid and smoked with asthma). But after my heart stopped twice, both lungs collapsed, and I had to be intubated, I woke up two days later, luckily with no brain damage … yeah, I quit!" — Donna McArthur Hill
"I smoked for 23 years, then had a heart attack and double bypass [surgery] and then quit cold turkey. I haven’t had any urges to smoke since. I don’t like the smell and have been smoke-free for five years." — Cathy Lockhart Hall.