With New Year's Eve just around the corner, many smokers are getting ready for the biggest battle of their lives. Every year people try to fight their nicotine cravings so they may begin a new year as a non-smoker.

"Quitting smoking is one of the top New Year's resolutions each January and on the eve of year 2000 I want to make sure smokers are prepared to quit," said Fred Kelley of Quitsmoking.com, a Web site dedicated to helping smokers quit.

Most smokers attempt to quit several times before finally quitting permanently, according to Kelley.

"Roughly 70 percent of all smokers in America say they want to quit. That's nearly 34 million people. Of those, about 1.3 million will actually quit this year," Kelley said.

Kelley notes the keys to quitting permanently are having the desire to quit and believing you can quit.

Fixing in your mind a belief that you can quit smoking may sound impossible if you now believe you don't have the ability. Here are some tips to help you change your beliefs:

Realize your old belief was founded on old ideas and circumstances and your new belief is based on new information and your newfound desire to quit smoking now.

On 3/5 index cards, write out several positive statements about your ability to quit. Read your cards three times a day: morning, noon and bedtime. Some statements to use: "I believe I have the ability to quit smoking," "I am a non-smoker," "I no longer need cigarettes in my life," "I happily quit smoking," "It's easy to quit smoking," "I am a powerful, self-directed person," "I control my own life." Make up some of your own statements. Make them positive, as if you have already completed the task.

Post a sign on your bathroom mirror with one of the above statements on it.

Repeat the above statements to yourself, whenever you have a free moment.

Visualize yourself mastering your smoking habit and winning the fight.

Ask your family and friends to encourage you with positive statements about your ability to quit smoking.

For more information, a free report is available at: http://www.quitsmoking.com .sd.edu.