Make your choice before it's made for you . . .

There is nothing like a cardiac arrest to sharpen the mind ! I actually died because I smoked and was brought back. One blocked cardiac artery was all it took ! I never thought it would happen to me.(how often do you hear that !) I am very lucky . . .

After the event and during rehab I became obsessed with reading about what smoking does to your body. Not the scare tactic stuff that is usually promoted but the objective medical research and the facts.

And there is a lot of research available on line to read. So my tip is read read read. Properly inform yourself about what is happening to your heart and arteries when you smoke. Read about cardiac arrest, rehabilitation and the damage done when you have a heart attack. Read when you've decided to quit in the days beforehand and read when you're tempted to smoke again. For 3 years I have maintained this strategy and haven't smoked after smoking for 45 years. I just don't want to . . Believe in yourself and challenge yourself. You WILL win the battle.

Oh, and walk a lot . . . it helps.