This is so true! Thank you so much Terry for sharing!!

Thanks for that letter of encouragement. I keep trying... Hope everyone has a good day.

I quit smoking 6 weeks ago for the second time in my life, the first time was in 1995 after 30 years of smoking and it was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life but I persevered and won that battle  

I took them up again after a failed relationship in 2004, you could say they were a psychological pacifier to suck on. This time around was much easier because I had worked out all the coping mechanisms and the main thing is to be 100% honest with yourself. Once you take up smoking you are always an addict just like any drug or acquired habit, Opiates, alcohol, food or whatever. The human brain thrives on routine. You get up in the morning and have a cup of coffee that is a part of your routine and you could say that addiction is a form of routine. You repeat something often enough and it becomes part of your routine and the brain likes it which is one of the many  reasons it is so hard to quit. To remind yourself the reason you quit in the first place as often as possible is a good coping mechanism. Simply, be honest with yourself, be positive with your self and take it one hour, one day or one week at a time and above all do not become arrogant or complacent about it.

Hello Rob... Congratulations on being 6 weeks smoke free. What you say about routine is so true. Addiction to anything becomes routine, and it becomes very difficult to untangle out of what becomes a nasty habit. I am enslaved to the use of nicotine lozenges. I think I need to immediately change my thoughts around them. If I can change my thinking it just may redirect the urges to suck on one. All the best to you on your quit!

Hi Jerthie

That is the fundamental problem with Nico replacement therapy, it only reinforces the addiction, the mind or subconscious is quiet happy as long as it's getting it's hit of Nicotine. Did you know that Nicotine is used as a weed killer?" now just imagine what it can do to your lungs and heart after a decade. It had damaged my heart resulting in a heart attack but no, that didn't stop me, finally after developing a chronic cough and symptoms of lung fibrosis and the thought of ending up on oxygen support like those anti-smoking ads, I had the reason and resolve to quit. At first I too tried the lozenges but they tasted so vile I chucked them in the trash can and buckled down to do it cold Turkey. Fortunately it worked for me, keep at it, if you need the lozenges so be it but have a plan to ween yourself off those too and stick to it. Keep a diary with all the reasons you want to quit, repeat them to yourself as often as you can. Last of all DON"T GIVE UP.

Hey Rob - former long-time smoker here, quit cold turkey about 18 months ago. Everything you've written about addiction rings true. Recently I had a conversation with a friend who also quit around the time I did, after decades of smoking. We agreed that as hard as it was to adjust to life without nicotine - and damn it was hard - it's good to remind ourselves of what lies on the other side. Mainly -- freedom! Freedom from the stress of knowing you're choosing to harm your body, freedom from the insane cost of cigarettes, freedom from being ruled by figuring out "how can I smoke?" at social events/vacations, freedom from guilt. And yeah, it's important not to be complacent. I still have cravings from time to time, and I know how to deal with them. I also know myself. Not One Puff Ever is the only good choice for me. Hang in there - as you know, it gets easier and it gets better!

Welcome back to your non-smoking lifestyle.  As you are familiar with the landscape, about all I can say is, I am sure you will find everything you need on this side.  Welcome back.

Hi Anne

Thank you for your positive words, I have yet to know if the damage done to my lungs is reversable or at best manageable but maintain my optimism. To all the younger smokers out there, choosing to quit is the best and bravest thing you have ever done, a big high five to you all. In Australia, where I live, successive governments have been putting the price of cigarettes and RYO tobacco up for many years to combat smoking, a 25g pack of the cheapest RYO tobacco currently costs $55.00 AU and will be increasing in the coming months. I smoked between 3 and 4 packets of this garbage a week so now I save around $160-$220 a week, over the course of a year I am saving thousands, meat is expensive here but I can now afford the luxury of cooking a steak eating more healthier foods or buying myself little treats like a nice pair of pants or a shirt, something I did not have the luxury to do before because my time was consumed budgeting for tobacco.

You are so right.  Wasted a lot of time and money.   Time I could have been playing with my children, getting more work done, visiting with relatives (mom and dad) etc.  In the three years I have been quit, I have saved over $10,000. 

I just imagine all the money I could have spent on my life instead of investing so heavily into my death.  

Smoking is a total loss and not just to me.  My family and friends lost out on my time and attention too. 

Kind of makes me angry to have fallen into the trap and not getting out a whole lot sooner in my life.  

Cheers.