Breaking the habit is very overwhelming. Coping with the numerous health risks that come along with smoking, as well as the people around you breathing in the second hand smoke can be very frustrating.

Here's the bottom line. When you start you need to know
--Where to start
--What you can do for support
--How you can cope with the stresses
--And tips on preventing weight gain while breaking the habit

This article will explore these four important factors when breaking the habit of smoking. Now I don't know about You but I know that Before you start breaking the habit, starting off with these five easy steps will increase your chances as well as start you off on the right path to breaking the habit for good.

Here they are:
--You should make a commitment to stop smoking about two weeks before you do so you can have plenty of time to prepare yourself.
--Writing all your personal reasons for breaking the habit down can increase your chances of quitting dramatically but you have to be specific when doing this so you can review them any time you get the urge to light up.
--Yet another strategy for breaking the habit is keeping a journal of when and why you smoke. By doing this you can snuff out the things that make you want to smoke before you get the urge.

The last thing you need to do before you come up to your quit date is throw away anything you have that has to deal with smoking so you'll have a better start than most smokers trying to break the habit just on a whim. While those five breaking the habit starters are just a few of the many things you can do to stop smoking, finding support while your breaking the habit isn't as hard as you might think.

As you may already know there is a whole host of information on quitting smoking from books, lazers, patches, nicotine gum and many other ways of breaking the habit. Quite frankly I believe that it all starts with the support you have of other people and the type of environment your in.

What should you do about support?
--Well I can tell you from experience that telling your Family and Friends about your plans to stop smoking and what kind of support and understanding from them you'll need will bring you a long way down the road to breaking your habit.
--Another great idea to breaking the habit is giving yourself a reward with all the money you'll save by not having to buy cigarettes. This will reaffirm your focus and goals to quit smoking for good.

As you can see getting the support of your family and friends is very helpful in breaking the habit and rewarding yourself with your cigarette money will give you focus. But coping with the stresses of breaking the habit can be very tough.

Take a deep breath and relax because coping with the stresses of breaking the habit can be very tough for you. Listen closely because this is one of the most important parts.

Here are a few tips to help in coping with the stress.
--You can memorize an acronym that I used when I was breaking the habit its called H.A.L.T and this means Hungry,Angry,Lonely,Tired. Many doctors have seen relapses from these four factors when smokers were trying to break the habit.
--If you come to a stressful or tough situation while your breaking the habit you can take a walk, chew on some celery or take a hot bath to take you away from that thought that you had.

While There are many more ways you can cope with the stress of breaking the habit dealing with the weight gain part of breaking the habit can be very tough as well.

When you first started smoking it was something cool you could do but I bet you didn't know back then that you would be enslaved by this habit as well as having to deal with the health problems that come along with it. I am sure you've heard of other people gaining a few pounds when they are breaking the habit and you might feel bad about this.

Well, I've got news for you you'll feel the Urge to Splurge on anything when your hungry and trying to break the habit. When you feel this urge have some healthy snacks on hand and stay active.

There you have it. These four things that you need to know before you break the habit will give you a jump start on all the other smokers out there who try breaking the habit everyday without success.

If you look at starting on the path, getting support, coping with the stresses with the H.A.L.T Method, and NOT packing on the pounds by staying active you will feel great for accomplishing your goal to once and for all break that vice of puffing away.

These four strategies for breaking the habit of smoking can be incorporated with any program you wish to take in the future to stop smoking and you will have a strong foundation to start.

So make that commitment today to breaking the habit and don't be one of the 340,000 people in the U.S. who die every year by tobacco related illnesses (Which were easily preventable).