Introduction Smoking is one of the biggest health problems seen throughout the United States. It is estimated that cigarette smoking contributes to around 450,000 deaths every year and cost the U.S. $193 billion annually in direct medical expenses and lost productivity (Porter 2013). Cigarette smoking is an addictive habit and for the majority of smokers is very hard to quit, especially by themselves. It is difficult if one is a non-smoker to grasp and understand the dynamics of the addiction and successful quitting usually requires a significant amount of assistance and support. Nurse practitioners are there to provide professional assistance by helping patients take the appropriate steps and measures to ensure their success in smoking cessation.

Difficulty of Smoking Cessation In general, most people who smoke know smoking is bad for their health and can contribute to many other health problems and even death, so why can’t they just quit? If it were that easy there would be significantly less smokers in this country. The problem is not the desire to quit but rather the actual act of stoping smoking for good. The fact of reality is there are plenty of smokers out there who want to quit but just can’t due to the complexity and addictive nature of the habit. The three main components of tobacco smoke include; tar, carbon monoxide and nicotine (McEwen 2014). Most of the health issues that arise from smoking cigarettes are directly linked to tar and carbon monoxide components. Cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease are three of the most common issues stemming from the tar and carbon monoxide elements of the cigarette (McEwen 2014). The third component, nicotine, is relatively harmless to our health but may be the most dangerous element of a cigarette. Nicotine is highly addictive and is the reason smokers keep smoking. Aside