Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly the substance is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant which have been rolled into a small square of rice paper to create a small, round cylinder called a " cigarette ".
Smoking is said to stimulate pleasing and enjoyable emotions, and smokers claim that it helps boost their mood, alleviates minor depression and small fits of anger, improves concentration and short-term memory, and can also provide a modest sense of well-being. This is because cigarettes contain the addictive substance nicotine that stimulates dopamine in the brain, which is responsible for the "pleasurable sensations."
There's no way around it. Smoking is bad for your health. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. It is also responsible for many other cancers and health problems. These include lung disease, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke and cataracts. Women who smoke have a greater chance of certain
pregnancy problems or having a baby die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Your smoke is also bad for other people - they breathe in your smoke secondhand and can get many of the same problems as smokers do.
There are many different ways to give up smoking . Some experts advocate using pharmacological products to help wean you off nicotine, others say all you need is a good counselor and support group, or an organized program. To add to the confusion, you may find there is a study that says this way works better than that one, and then when you look again, you find there is another study that says, no, that one works better than this one.
But one thing most experts agree on is that a combination works best. For example, nicotine replacement therapy on its own, or counseling on its own is not as effective as a combination of the two.
In this article you can read about some of the more common elements of successful quit smoking programs.

1. Cold turkey (no outside help). About 90% of people who try to quit smoking do it without outside support -- no aids, therapy, or medicine. Although most people try to quit this way, it's not the most effective and successful method. Only between 4% to 7% are able to quit by going cold turkey alone.

2. Build a quit plan. Pick a quit date that gives you time to prepare without losing your motivation to quit. Tell friends and family that you are quitting. Remove cigarettes and ashtrays from your home, work, and car. Identify smoking triggers, and decide how you are going to deal with them.

3. Behavioral therapy. You'll work with a counselor to find ways not to smoke. Together, you'll find your triggers (such as emotions or situations that make you want to smoke) and make a plan to get through cravings.

4. Nicotine replacement therapy. Nicotine gum, patches, inhalers, sprays, and lozenges are nicotine replacement therapies. They work by giving you nicotine without using tobacco . You may be more likely to quit smoking if you use nicotine replacement therapy. If you're younger than 18, you need to get your doctor's permission to use it. This plan works best when you also get behavioral therapy and lots of support from friends and family.

5. Medicine. Buproprion ( Zyban ) and varenicline (Chantix ) are intended to help people quit smoking . Your doctor must prescribe these medications .

6. Combo treatments. Using a combination of treatment methods may raise your chances of quitting. For example, using both a nicotine patch and gum may be better than a patch alone. Other proven combos include behavioral therapy and nicotine replacement therapy, prescription medication with a nicotine patch, and nicotine patch and nicotine spray.

7. Don't give in to your craving to smoke. Every time you don't smoke when you have a craving, your chances of quitting successfully go up. Change your habits, and find other things for your mouth to do such as eating carrot sticks or sunflower seeds.

8. Try a new hobby with friends who don't smoke. Do something that keeps your hands active and reduces stress, such as exercise. This makes success more likely.