What is the best way to quit smoking? Perhaps a better question would be “Does a best way to quit smoking even exist?” Ask a million smokers how they quit and you’ll get a million different answers. Of course there will be many answers that are similar, but none will be exactly the same.

Just as each person has a unique fingerprint, each smoker will have a unique way to quit smoking. So the short answer to the question is “Yes, there is a best way to quit smoking, and that way is the way that works specifically for you.”

What this means, then, is that you have to find “the way” for you. Often, that means you may have to try several times to quit smoking. In fact, most people who quit try at least seven times to kick their smoking habit. The good thing to keep in mind is that you get to quit smoking without worrying that you won’t quit. The reason is that if this one way doesn’t work, you simply have to use another way to quit smoking.

And there are many ways to quit. Cold turkey is a popular way that many smokers try. Just quitting cold turkey may be the jolt to your system that you need to succeed. But you can also try hypnosis or nicotine gum or patches or lozenges. There are quit smoking forums online and support groups offline. You can find classes at some churches or hospitals. Telephone hotlines are available in some areas, often provided at no charge by the government or even health insurance companies. Some employers even offer help to their employees who want to quit smoking. Herbal smoking cessation products and prescription medications are also available. Add in all the various relaxation and breathing techniques, exercise routines, diet modification, and other techniques smokers use to quit, and you should not run out of options any time soon.

The most important point to remember is that you must never give up. So if you attempt three times to quit smoking and don’t succeed all three times, you have simply eliminated three ways that didn’t work for you. Now you must find a fourth way to quit. And keep repeating this process until you finally quit. Ninety-nine percent of all great inventions weren’t perfect the first time their inventor made a prototype. But each new prototype improved on the last, until finally an amazing, working invention emerged!

Each time you go through the quitting process you create a new “quit smoking prototype”. And within each prototype you will find things that work for you and things that don’t. If possible, write them down in a journal. For example, did it help you to exercise when you quit? Did talking to a friend actually make the process more difficult? Whatever the case may be, write it down and the next time, emphasize the things that helped and eliminate those that didn’t. Document each prototype carefully.

Eventually you will find the perfect combination of actions, activities, thoughts and quit smoking products that come together to create the best way to quit smoking for you. The end result is worth every ounce of research, effort and energy you pour into it.