Tue, Mar 15, 2016 at 08:20 PM

She quit and you can too: 6 tips to help you quit smoking

Quitting smoking is hard, but Amber Greenhaw did it three years ago. She is still smoke-free today. For those still struggling with quitting, Amber outlined a few ways she was able to quit smoking for good.

1. Find your motivation. 

For Amber, it was remembering her father who died of lung cancer. For you, it could be your kids, your loved ones or a desire to have a more active lifestyle. Whatever your motivation is, find it and remind yourself of it often.

2. Use a tracking tool. 

Amber used an app called "Smoke Free" to track her progress. You enter how much you smoke, and the app tells you the cost. It also sends trophies to help celebrate milestones. Which brings us to the next tip!

3. Reward yourself. 

Each time Amber reached a savings of $50 through her Smoke Free app, she would reward herself to dinner or something else fun. Set goals and establish rewards for those goals.

4. Have an accountability partner. 

Amber and her sister quit together using the app. They set it up so they could see each other's progress and encourage each other along the way. Find someone who is good at pep talks to check in on your progress and keep you on track.

5. Don't give up. 

Amber used the app and rewarded herself for a year to quit smoking. It isn't going to happen overnight, so don't get discouraged when you slip up. 

6. Realize your own strength. 

"Everybody's strong enough to quit," Amber said. "You're stronger than that rolled up piece of paper."

"It's never too late to quit. It's so much nicer when you don't have to hide anything or worry about how you or your car smells," Amber said. Find encouragement in Amber's story. You can start taking steps to quit today.