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It can take a long time to quit smoking. Some people can do it in a few weeks or months, while other needs several years. But no matter what your timeframe is, you need to figure out how to keep your urge to smoke as low as possible.

At some point in your experience trying to quit you will encounter a situation where the urge to smoke is very strong. How you handle this situation will go a long way towards your ultimate success. Being prepared for the urge to smoke will ensure that you have a plan to keep your willpower strong and continue on your path to quit smoking successfully.

Think about when you normally have a cigarette. Is it after dinner or when you have exercised in the local gym? If you have knowledge about that, it will be easier to fight the urge.

Create a plan of attack. This could be something as simple as a stress ball for your hands, or even just a piece of hard candy to keep your mouth busy. If you really enjoy the taste and feeling of a clean mouth you could try brushing your teeth each time you want to smoke, or suck on a mint flavored candy, which will freshen your breath.

Avoid all temptations. If you are going out for a meal, make sure to get placed in the no smoking area. Stay away from tobacco stores and do also try to limit your time around other smokers. If you are not continuously around cigarettes, it will be easier to resist the temptation.

Remove all smoking instruments from your home. This includes lighters, matches and ashtrays. And air the room to get rid of the smell of cigarettes. Products like Febreeze can also be a great help to get rid of the smell that can urge you to smoke.

Rearrange your home if you have a place where you normally smoke. It is much easier to resist the temptation if you break your routines. This is especially great if you normally have a habit of smoking at the exact same location like in your favorite chair in front of the television. So try to remove the chair to another part of the room to remove the urge to smoke when you are watching television in the chair.

Write down your goal to quit smoking. This may seem like a minor detail but in reality, it can go a very long way towards ensuring that you keep your priority to quit smoking at the top of your agenda. If you just tell yourself that you want to quit smoking, you are more likely to cheat and ultimately give into the urge to light up again. If you have written your goal down, you are going to be more likely to actually follow it. This goes for quitting smoking, losing weight, changing your exercise routine or anything else. Written down goals can improve accountability significantly.

Do never discount yourself. If you think you can succeed, you will actually be much closer to the success. It is important that you trust you can succeed, because it will help you fight the serious battles against the urge to smoke. It you decide to slip up again and again, you will find it much more difficult to get back on your feet. On the other hand if you hold on to your dedication to stop smoking you will see that each time the urge presents itself, it will be easier to handle.