I have three brothers who have stopped smoking, so it can be done.

One told me that it helped to think about the benefits of quitting, rather than to dwell on the dangers of continuing. He said, for example, that after only a few days he could taste things again. So that is one word of wisdom - focus on the benefits.

Another friend quit when she joined a program run by the Seventh-Day Adventists. It worked even though she was a Presbyterian.

Some years ago, the tobacco companies changed the formulation of cigarettes so that smokers are now "free-basing" nicotine. (Don't ask me what that means exactly.) As a result, it is harder to quit. So if you want to quit and can't,don't be ashamed or defensive. Go to a doctor or the Lung Association or somewhere and get professional help.