Cigarette smoke dumps more than 4,000 chemicals into your body, including arsenic and cyanide (yes, rat poison). So it's tempting to assume that until you quit smoking, it's better to smoke “light” rather than regular cigarettes. The truth: They aren't any healthier. And they may even stop you from kicking your habit.

A new study found that people who switched to light cigarettes were more likely to attempt quitting -- but were 46% less (yes, LESS) successful at quitting than nonswitchers.

We're not surprised. If you really want to quit, here are the bare bones of the most successful plan (find details at RealAge.com):

• Don't quit for a month. Instead, start proving to yourself that you can feel better and can do something important for yourself with the healthful habit of walking 30 minutes a day, every day for a month.
• Find a quitting buddy. And touch base every day. You're more likely to make a permanent change when you have support.
• Ask your doctor about stop-smoking pills. Only 2% of people who quit “cold turkey” stop the first time. Use nicotine patches and anticraving pills (bupropion) when your quit date comes around and the success rate jumps to 60%.
• Tally the benefits. Within 24 hours of quitting, your heart attack risk decreases. In a year, your risk of coronary disease drops to half that of someone who still smokes. And the wrinkles and other signs that your blood vessels are aging fade, so you look and feel significantly younger -- more than 5 years younger within about 2 years of being smoke free.