Smoking

Follow these ten steps to stop smoking - for good.

1. Make a date and stick to it. Draw up a plan of action, considering what methods are available to you.

2. Keep busy to help take your mind off cigarettes. Throw away all your ashtrays, lighters and tobacco.

3. Drink plenty of fluids - keep a glass of water or juice by you and sip it steadily. Try different flavours.

4. Get more active. Walk instead of using the bus or car, try the stairs instead of the lift. Exercise helps you relax and can boost your morale.

5. Think positively. Withdrawal can be unpleasant, but it is a sign your body is recovering from the effects of tobacco. Irritability, urges to smoke and poor concentration are common - don't worry, they usually disappear after a few of weeks.

6. Change your routine. Try to avoid the shop where you usually buy cigarettes. Perhaps you should avoid the pub or the break room at work if there are lots of smokers around you. Try doing something totally different. Surprise yourself!

7. No excuses. Don't use a crisis or even good news to be an excuse for 'just one cigarette' - there is no such thing and you will soon want the next and the next....

8. Treat yourself. This is important. If you can, use the money you are saving by not smoking to buy yourself something special, big or small, that you usually would not have.

9. Be careful what you eat. Try not to snack on fatty foods. If you do need to snack, try fruit, raw vegetables or sugar-free gum or sweets.

10. Take one day at a time. Each day without a cigarette is good news for your health, your family and your pocket.