Why is quitting smoking so tough? Maybe it's because smoking isn't one addiction, it's two.
An addiction to smoking is both a physical addiction to nicotine and a psychological addiction to daily smoking routines. Your brain becomes physically addicted to nicotine as you smoke because nicotine binds to tiny receptors in the brain. You become psychologically addicted when you smoke at certain times, or with certain people, and your smoking routines become patterns you look forward to repeating. Your chances of quitting smoking successfully increase when you deal with both of these addictions.

Smoking harms nearly every organ in your body; quitting smoking lets your body begin repairing itself almost immediately.
Here's just a partial list of the effects of smoking:

• Prevents nerve endings from re-growing and interferes with smell and taste
• Increases your blood pressure and pulse rate
• Raises the level of carbon monoxide and lowers the level of oxygen in your blood
• Depresses lung function and circulation
• Increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and lung cancer

The good news is you can begin reversing some of the effects of smoking in just 20 minutes. Use the timeline to see 20 minutes into your quit.

Smoking burns up your money. Think of it as setting fire to $3,000 every year.
Multiply the number of packs a day you smoke by the price per pack (from about $5 to $10 in the U.S.). It's as much as $300 a month and $3,600 a year for a pack-a-day habit. Now, stop and think what else you might use that money for. If you weren't buying cigarettes you might have enough at the end of 12 months for an exciting vacation getaway or a flat screen TV. To see the money you save and what you can buy with it, try the Savings Calculator.