How I became an ex-smoker

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Quitting smoking is not easy, but with the right process, you can do it.

We all know that quitting smoking is seriously tough - no wonder it usually takes smokers two or three attempts to finally kick the habit, according to Health Canada.

I quit smoking at the beginning of this year, after smoking for seven years. Here's what I found helpful to keep in mind as I quit:

1. You have to be really, really ready to quit. Don't force yourself to quit - it's too much pressure to put on yourself, and that could lead to relapses and eventually giving up. You have to want to quit and be prepared to commit to quitting.

2. Don't quit in the season you love smoking most in. I loved smoking in the summer, so I quit in the winter - other people love smoking in the winter, so they should aim to quit in the summer.

3. Stick to one quitting plan. Don't bounce around from the patch to gum to hypnosis to cold turkey. If one method isn't working for you, it may be time to switch, but give whatever method you choose some time to kick in. I did hypnosis and loved it. I used the Max Kirsten Quit Smoking Now app for the iPhone (you can check it out at tinyurl.com/mkquitsmoking), which also kept track of how much money I was saving - it was cool to see after a couple months that I'd saved a few hundred bucks.

4. Give yourself rewards. For every two weeks I didn't smoke, I bought myself new nail polish.

5. Allow the rage. Warn the people in your life that you're quitting, and then let the rage flood out. If you keep it inside, it'll make you tense and want to smoke more. For me, the rage lasted about two or three weeks - my poor boyfriend and friends! They were troopers for sticking it out, and once I got over that hump, everything was better.

6. Have someone around you who is really supportive. If you do slip up, they will be disappointed in you, but they won't punish you.

7. Forgive slip-ups. I had the odd smoke with friends while out drinking at night. Forgive it and forget it. The next day it's like it never happened and you get back on track.

8. Look towards the end goal. Look forward to walking up stairs without getting out of breath. It really feels great to be smoke free, so keep that in mind.

For more information about smoking and how to quit, check out lung.ca.