Your body is used to nicotine, so you naturally feel more relaxed when you give it a substance that it has come to depend on. Nicotine raises your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate. You'll find it much easier to relax without a cigarette just one to two weeks after quitting.

There is a big difference between smoking a little and not smoking at all because smokers who cut back tend to inhale more deeply, negating many of the benefits of cutting back. Your goal still should be to become smoke-free. Once you cut back to about seven cigarettes a day you've lowered your nicotine intake and are ready to take the next step to quit completely. Our tools can help you with that.

"Lights" or low-tar cigarettes still contain harmful substances and many smokers who use them inhale more often and more deeply to maintain their nicotine intake. Also, carbon monoxide intake increases with low-tar cigarettes. So 'lights' aren't really that safe at all.

Quitting tobacco can be a very big lifestyle change and many tobacco users report that the change consumes their energy and attention for weeks. Incorporate some healthy behaviors, like yoga, weightlifting, or jogging into your daily routine - this will make the transition period easier. We have other great tools in the Results department that also will help.

Within 12 hours after you smoke your last cigarette, your body will begin to heal itself - no matter how long you have smoked. The levels of carbon monoxide and nicotine in your system will decline rapidly, and your heart and lungs will begin to repair the damage caused by cigarette consumption. Most nicotine is gone from the body in two to three days. Within a few days you probably will begin to notice some remarkable changes in your body. Your sense of smell and taste will improve. You will breathe easier and your smoker's hack will begin to disappear.

Smoking really only gives the illusion of control, since most people find it very difficult to control whether or not they continue smoking once they're hooked. Caring enough about yourself to make healthy lifestyle changes gives you real control over your life.

Be prepared - when you quit, you might be alone in your efforts. Your friends may try to encourage you to start smoking again, but you need to decide what's best for you. By quitting you may put pressure on your friends to quit smoking, however unintentional. This may make them resentful. Their natural, perhaps unconscious, response may make it more difficult for you to quit. Remember, you're quitting for you, so make it clear to your friends why you're quitting.

Avoid quitting when you are under unusual pressure or stress, or if you anticipate a stressful event like an upcoming marriage, graduation or finals, or are experiencing a traumatic event such as a death in the family or divorce. When you're ready, you can find some great resources in our Results department to help you prepare to quit.

The perception is that natural or additive-free cigarettes are safe, when in fact they're not. A recent study showed that people who smoke natural cigarettes actually have significantly higher nicotine levels. And it's not only the additives that make cigarettes unsafe.