That's it we quit!

[stomperxj]

Nice job JIML1943... I'm chewing nicotine gum as I type this If I had a dollar for every time I've quit... I'd have about $6 I guess. Hopefully it sticks this time.

It's tough but stick with it... You can do it!

[swissarmygirl]

Good for you!
I'm coming up on my 4 year quit anniversary.
This website helped me: http://www.quitnet.com/qnhomepage.aspx
I signed up and they would send encouraging emails daily, at first and then weekly....I still get an anniversary email every month. It sounds kinda goofy, but I really think it helped me.

[dobyman]

Hang in there!! it will be 10 years in August for the wife and me. I was 2+ packs a day for 25 years! I tried the patch, the gum, the pills, the inhaler and none of them worked for me. Then I spent $40 and got hypnotized at a group thing, and havent touched one since!
One hint that might help, as stupid as it may sound.......... wear a rubber band around your wrist and everytime you get a craving, SNAP IT! The pain seems to be more important than the craving. Then take a deep breath, and it goes away! I wore one 24/7 for about a year!
Good luck, and the next time you got to the store and see they are $6+ a pack, you'll be wondering what took you so long!

[CAJUN LADY]

Way to go Jim and all of you! I quit in 1986 but was an occassional lite smoker. My dad had lung cancer and asked me to quit for my own good. I did, that very same day and have never missed them. I miss my dad though.

[Senior Ninja]

Waaaay to go!
You won't be sorry.
Near my seventieth birthday my doctor asked me if I smoked and when I quit. I told him I quit in my thirties.
"Saved your life," he said. Enough for me.
Our thoughts and support are here for the taking.
Keep us informed.
Steve

[05liberty]

I'm with ya !! I'm on my 2nd month ( for the 3rd & hopefully last time ) I have noticed the difference in the money situation ( almost $10 a pack in this part of the Great White North !!) and I feel a lot better already !!

[angib]

I guess it must be 7 or 8 years since my last tab (sorry, cigarette).

I knew that I would be likely to put weight on (it wasn't the first time I'd stopped) so I started dieting the same day I gave up. Sounds hard, but I think it may be easier to stop smoking that way - the craving for a cigarette and the craving for food are very similar. You can quickly convince yourself that one is the other and there is always some sort of food you can eat (carrot sticks, etc). And if all you manage is to maintain weight, that's still well ahead.

Everyone says how much better they can smell after stopping but in my experience it's only bad smells that you can smell more - suddenly public toilets and rubbish bins are ghastly - while the good things don't seem to smell any more than they used to......

Andrew

[teardrop_focus]

Nobody

Upon very rare occassions such as having a few drinks with old friends, or driving 'cross country' alone late at night, something, a sight sound, smell, etc, will trigger a sudden memory & for a second there, "I'd KILL for a cigarette" but before I could possibly act on the urge, it's already a fading memory...

Exactly! I was told that the urge to smoke would last only as long as it took to smoke a cig... and I found that to be true.

I quit a pack-a-day-plus Marlboro Red/Pall Mall non-filter (remember those?)/Camel habit Nov. '07. I'd smoked reguarly since I was 18. I was headed towards emphysema and thought that my continued ability to breath in fresh mountain air is more important to me than smoking.

You can do it!

[Rick Sheerin]

I quit cold turkey over 4 years ago after smoking for over 25 years. Best thing I ever did for myself. The first week was the hardest, after that it was just mind over matter. Still love the smell of a cigar though.

[Miriam C.]

Nobody

Upon very rare occassions such as having a few drinks with old friends, or driving 'cross country' alone late at night, something, a sight sound, smell, etc, will trigger a sudden memory & for a second there, "I'd KILL for a cigarette" but before I could possibly act on the urge, it's already a fading memory...

Exactly! I was told that the urge to smoke would last only as long as it took to smoke a cig... and I found that to be true.

I quit a pack-a-day-plus Marlboro Red/Pall Mall non-filter (remember those?)/Camel habit Nov. '07. I'd smoked reguarly since I was 18. I was headed towards emphysema and thought that my continued ability to breath in fresh mountain air is more important to me than smoking.

You can do it!

Way to go Barbara and Jim. You will be so happy you did this.

I didn't quit! Couldn't quit! I finally gave up and quit buying them. Forbid anyone else to buy mine. I still want one every now and again. Doesn't last long though.

Hang in there and if you fall off the wagon just smoke a part of one then throw the whole pack away.

[Jiminsav]

I quit a 4 pack a day habit 13 years ago using the strongest patch they had for 2 weeks and then the lightest patch for one week. I did enjoy being down wind from smokers for a couple of years, but even that got to be too much for me and I shun smoke now like the plague.

[teardrop_focus]

Recent clinical studies reveal a breakthough in physical placement of the typical quit-smoking patch, regardless of manufacturer.
The most effective placement on the body is over one's mouth.

[queeniejeanne]

Congrats Jim and Barbara,
Dennis and I quit in the early 90's. Cold turkey with no problem other than a habit of what to do with your mouth/hands. We have been getting worse and worse to those who still smoke. Finding after finding in the medical fields leads me to believe they will make MY health worse, I don't need any help as I age. lol
One of our TD campers kindly asked if he could smoke at our site and I said I would rather he not. even though we had a fire going, I offered him cheese instead.
It was very good of him to ask.
As I said we have gotten really bad about treating them like they have swine flu.
You are on your way to freedom, health and riches! Queenie Jeanne and Dennis

[Elumia]

When I quit 20 years ago, I started the process by just eliminating the first smoke of the day, which for me was in the car on the way to work. Then I decided that I could hold out until 12. I then pushed it til after 5. By then, I only smoked a few a day and cut them out all together. It took about a month or so to ween myself.

Whatever method you try, it will be one of the best decisions you make. Here in California it is easier to stay a non-smoker because one can't smoke anywhere (except Indian casinos)! It's funny to go out of state and see people smoking somewhere other than in a doorway.

Somewhere I read an actuarial report that said that quiting smoking didn't save the health care system a lot of money as the non smokers lived about 10 years longer on average so that they accumulated extra medical expenses for other ailments.

Mark

[Larwyn]

I was up to 2.5 packs of Marlboro's a day when I quit after over 40 years of smoking and 1 heart attack. I used the patch for 2 days then just gave it up.
That was a little over 2 years ago. I fully expected to fail at quitting as I really enjoyed smoking and and didn't really even want to quit, but I did want to live. I still get a strong urge to smoke at times but pride in knowing that I have not had a single drag of a cigarette since I decided to quit keeps me on track. I also believe that if I did have one, I would loose my momentum and probably go back to the habit in an instant. So, I just have to stick to my guns. It aint easy, but it can be done.