IT only takes two or three days for nicotine to leave the body after a smoker quits. Cravings subside about 10 days later.

There are myriad reasons people smoke, so I believe there are also many reasons, beyond addiction, for why people struggle to quit.

I quit smoking in 1995. I started as a casual smoker and ended up puffing through a pack a day. I never actually considered myself “a smoker” and always thought I’d quit one day.

That really isn’t dissimilar from most smokers. Most people don’t consider themselves lifelong smokers; quitting is very much a “one day” thing.

Why “one day”? Why after holidays, or in the new year, or when you have children – why not now?

If the will is there to quit – if a smoker decides smoking is something they genuinely do not want to do any more – quitting isn’t that hard.

In the days when I was a smoker, I was an accountant. That job seems like a blip on the radar now. I have since gone on to motivational and leadership coaching and after successfully quitting smoking, I began helping others quit by turning what I learnt along the way into a book.

The usual reasons to smoke – being addicted or simply enjoying it – weren’t there when the first cigarette was tasted, so why did that moment happen in the first place?

For me, smoking started in social situations. If I felt a bit awkward or uncomfortable, or there was a lapse in conversation, I lit a cigarette. Realising that trigger was like an epiphany and knowing that allowed me to quit.

The practice of mindfulness is growing in popularity as more research shows how beneficial it is. The act of pausing and accepting thoughts and paying attention to them has been found to reduce stress and boost the happy receptors in the brain. Mindfulness has formed part of my career as well as my life.

I don’t do it every day any more, but most days I take 30 minutes and let my brain help itself, rather than relying on unhealthy habits to make me feel better.

Jamie Mushin’s book, Quit for Life: How to stop smoking – simply, without stress, forever is available in bookstores now. For more information visit jamiemushin.com.au