The question is twofold. Do smokers want to smoke or need to smoke? The answer is both. What I mean by that, is when the curious one first lit up a cigarette, they wanted to give it a go. But further down the line when they wanted to quit, they found they couldn't, as their body and mind had become dependent on the drug. They had become addicts to nicotine.

Now I'm not going to lecture smokers here on how they should live their lives, but I would implore a smoker to take a closer look at the impact smoking has on their life. There is a wealth of anecdotal evidence to show that hardcore smokers of 30 years plus have been able to kick the habit overnight. Stopping is not the problem here, it's staying stopped that causes the most grief and frustration.

So the sad fact of the matter is that most smokers give up smoking for only two or three days at a time. Some may give it up for a week. A few can stay off cigarettes for a month or more, but most return to cigarettes eventually. Nicotine is a cunning and powerful drug.

There is an abundance of reasons why smokers continue what they do. It's quite amazing how a state of denial can concoct so many 'justifiable' reasons why NOT to stop. Even when smokers face the hard facts and get to know all the reasons why they 'should' kick the habit, they still struggle making that final decision. In fact, 4 out of 5 smokers are looking for a way to quit smoking, but if they want it bad enough, they really don't have to look too deep for reasons to stop altogether.

I've always found it very curious that individuals, who have never smoked in their life, see themselves fit to lecture smokers about the habit. Something the non-smokers fail to understand is the extent to which smokers develop an emotional attachment with their habit. Non-smokers see it as just a habit, whereas smokers are well-aware that cigarettes are not only addictive but have also become part of their identity.

So, with so many smokers realizing all the reasons why they 'should' stop, why then do they still struggle making the decision to quit? Well, for many smokers there are strong associations between smoking and pleasure. In my smoking days I used to really look forward to every opportunity to smoke, but one day I stopped and asked myself a simple question which was, do I really want another cigarette so soon after putting one out? I answered myself with a no, yet I still lit up nonetheless. This is the power of nicotine!

A lot of smokers who want to quit the habit have failed in their efforts because of the lack of will power and determination, but those are not the only reasons. Knowledge also is not enough. What many a smoker needs is a little support and encouragement along the way from his or her nearest and dearest. Constant nagging and complaining will only make it harder for the smoker to stop, so a mature and sincere offer of back-up is the key here.

Many smokers feel they have to smoke when going to a bar or a club, and often say that they have to light up when they're enjoying a drink. But then they say they also need to smoke when times are bad too, or because of this, and because of that, ad infinitum. The list of excuses is endless. The bottom line is that smokers do not need to smoke, but they want to smoke. They may want to quit too, but until they want to stop more than they want to smoke, there is little chance of quitting.