1 of my favorite subjects....
1st of all, much props to you for making the decision to quit. The hardest part is actually making up your mind that you don't want to smoke cigs anymore.
My wife & I both quit cigs after smoking for about 40 yrs for me & 35 yrs for her [she's younger than me]. She was a pretty heavy smoker [about 2 packs-a-day] & she knew she couldn't do it on her own [no will-power], so she went the hypnosis route. Sure enough, she walked outta the session, threw out a 1/2 a pack & hasn't had 1 since. That was Sept 2007. The 1 bad thing, though, was it was too late. She had developed emphysema & pulmonary-fibrosis. She's on oxygen 24/7 now & has major health problems.
After my parents passed away, we moved into their nice house & never smoked in here, as they were non-smokers & we didn't want to stink the place up...so we'd just step out to the garage to have 1. Well, after she quit, I was going out & burning 1 by myself...the entire time kicking myself in the ass for not getting a grip on this shit. Finally, Feb 1, 2008 is when I went to light up a smoke & said "Enough's enough!!" & snuffed it out forever.
It was no easy give-up in the least. The 1st week is a rough 1, but I just did the 'cold turkey' deal & quit for good. I feel so much better being tobacco-free...& you will too. I wasn't a heavy smoker [usually less than a pack-a-day], so I came outta that with no health issues [*knock on wood*]. Now I don't even think of them & the $$$ saved from not buying cigs is $300-$400/month.
What's really helped is that we had already quit drinking, so there was no beer & a cig combo that goes so well together. I'd recommend just doing the cold turkey route & forget the patch [my wife initially tried that & they made her queasy...same with the Chantrix]. I guess you could try the gum, but the best way is a clean break. If you're a drinker, it might be a bit more difficult quitting, but with a 'made-up mind', you should do fine.
I commend you on your decision & the best of luck in shaking that damn habit. Now 1 thing I will NEVER quit is weed. Weed & I are way too close to stop seeing each other!!
