Who quits smoking?

Why do they quit? I googled these questions and there are very few answers.  There are many websites saying why to quit but it appears there is little research asking people why and how they quit.

There are a percentage of people who realizing they are injuring themselves and quit.  It is a small percentage. Sometimes a sudden illness makes it impossible to continue.  Sometimes you see someone on an oxygen tank lighting up. 

We are all unique and we all share common traits because we are human.  We all have "addictions".  Some are so trivial as to seem silly. Some foods addict us, and, they are good for us.  Some are not.

The recent figures indicate that about twenty percent of Americans smoke. Most are younger.  Older smokers are not a large group.  The side effects of smoking send them to the grave earlier than the non-smokers.

People do quit smoking. Since 2002 more than half of Americans who ever smoked have quit!  In 2005 42.5 percent of adult smokers attempted to quit. Many did not.

What does it take to quit? Is there a common thread? I think so.  That thread is commitment. Commitment to quitting. Commitment to making changes in life.  Commitment to making changes in mind. Commitment to yourself -- caring for your physical, mental and spiritual being.

Can you do it? Did you learn to ride a bike, walk, read?  You know how to learn, you have learned a great many things in your life.  You learned to be an adult, to hold a job, to care for others, and so much more.  Maybe you just need to remember something you have forgotten -- to care for your self.