Another very harmful substance, carbon monoxide (CO) also acts on the lungs by stopping hemoglobin from developing. As a result, smokers get less oxygen and become easily fatigued.

The fact that smoking is a dangerous habit is know to everyone; but that doesn't make it any easier for smokers to quit.

If you're looking for tips to help you stop smoking, follow these two steps:

1. Get Motivated to Stop. Write down all the reasons why it's important for you to kick the habit. Take this list with you everywhere you go; if possible, put it next to your pack of cigarettes. That way, whenever you're tempted to reach for a cigarette you'll see your list and maybe you'll stop. There are many advantages to quitting smoking, and you should keep them in mind. In fact, the benefits of quitting start within minutes of the last puff you take.

- Your blood pressure will drop in the first 20 minutes after smoking. - Eight hours after you smoke, your blood oxygen level and carbon monoxide level will return to normal. - 24 hours after smoking, your chances of suffering a heart attack drop significantly. - 48 hours later, nerve endings begin to regenerate, which will improve your senses of smell and taste.

- Within three months, there will be marked improvement in your lung function. - In nine months, you'll enjoy far less trouble with coughing and nasal congestion, and you won't be as fatigued. - One year later, your likelihood of developing coronary disease drops by nearly 50 percent. - After five years, your risk of stroke is the same as for someone who has never smoked. - After 10 years, there's a far lower likelihood of developing cancer of the lung, mouth, esophagus, throat, kidneys, pancreas and bladder. And 14 years after your last cigarette, you have the same likelihood of developing heart disease as someone who never touched a cigarette. 2. Alter your subconscious beliefs. If you have smoked for years, your subconscious will be programmed to believe that you can't live without this habit. Your smoking behavior is so deeply ingrained in your subconscious mind that any attempt to kick your addiction without retraining your brain is a waste of time. Fortunately, there's a powerful method known as Neuro Linquistic Programming (NLP) that can help you lessen the ordeal of quitting and help you to stop smoking permanently. Results from a recent study of 5,000 smokers showed that a single session of NLP was effective enough to help the smokers quit. And of these 5,000 smokers, 97.2% never lit another cigarette again!