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The best quit smoking plan is to use your noggin!

Lucky you if you're quitting smoking and decided not to waste your time and money on drugs, but opted to deal with your psychological habit as well as the physical nicotine addiction.

It's a myth that nicotine is the big problem'it is a problem all right, but more a temporary darn nuisance. The best quit smoking plan is to concentrate on overcoming your habitual and emotional addiction, which is the secret to serious and lasting success.

Clear your mind of any worry that nicotine has you in its grip.

Yes it's nasty stuff, but it's out of your bloodstream in 48-72 hours, even for the heaviest smokers.

However, there's a billion dollar drug industry out there, pandering to the human desire for quick fixes, and fortunes are being made by promoting a lengthy withdrawal of nicotine with drugs for temporarily controlling the desire for a smoke. But recognize the medical truth, the facts when quitting smoking'

Nicotine withdrawal lasts 48-72 hours maximum and like going off many drugs including coffee, it may cause various degrees of short term irritability, lack of concentration, stomach ache, headache, and mild depression.

Of course SOME smokers looking for the best quit smoking plan WILL quit using any one of the various techniques available; because they believe what they are using will work. Their belief is due to faith in advertising, doctors and pharmaceutical products, recommendations, some new clever gimmick trumpeted by press releases, and so on.

But mostly these people can thank the power of their mind'their BELIEF that they can quit.

Yes, once someone has made a decision to quit, and paid money'if the method says bang your head against the wall 3 times a day, or drink this purple liquid, then one out of 10-20 people will quit. As Woody Allan said, "80% of success is in your decision, 20% in your actions."

Whatever reasons you started to smoke (maybe peer pressure, the cool or grown-up factor, trauma, stress, or your mother told you not to), the stimulant drug, nicotine, then usually steps in and you are hooked.

Possibly you've discovered by now that due to the simple chemical effects of nicotine on the brain, it helps you avoid dealing with unpleasant emotions.

Simply put, the brain chemical dopamine is released, which produces feelings of satisfaction and pleasure. After a while the ritual becomes important and your habit is fed by triggers.

These triggers feed your subconscious and tell you mentally when it's smoko time, as well as the nicotine physically telling you it's top up time.

Smoking may be a coping mechanism when you're upset, sad, anxious, bored or a signal to take a break from work, walk the dog, drink etc.

Cigarettes become your friend to turn to in need, and hey, we all need our friends.

Consider this: Dan has a heart attack, is rushed to hospital and with modern methods is saved and finally after 2 weeks is allowed home. Do you think Dan, a smoker, was allowed to smoke in hospital'no way Jos'.

So he's got no physical nicotine addiction now, but he gets home and the phone rings. It's Mick, so he reaches into his pocket for his smokes because he always used to sit back and have a nice yarn on the phone to Mick'and a smoke. Oops, back to the old habit! That's just one of the many cues Dan has to un-learn or re-program in his mind if he wants to stop smoking permanently.

If you are quitting smoking, the best quit smoking plan for you is to recognize the facts'do you want to spend months trying out a drug, or do you want to quit quickly and permanently using your own noggin.