I initially began smoking at the age of 15. I thought it was grown up and cool and back then, you could still smoke in most high schools.
At the age of 18, I went to prison and three years later, tobacco was banned in the Texas prison system, so I quit smoking. If only I had remained smoke free, but because I was "forced" to quit smoking, when I was released from prison in 2005, I decided I would take back my freedom and began again to smoke.
Over the next 9 years, I developed a terrible smoker's cough. I knew I needed to quit, but after trying everything I could think of with no success, I began to live with the firm belief I would die a smoker, probably of emphasema or cancer.
Several years ago, my mother was diagnosed with emphasema and, with the aid of Chantix, she quit in just 4 days. She never went back to smoking. I figured with the high success rate of Chantix, it had to be worth a shot, but Chantix is not cheap and I simply didn't have the money for a perscription.
In March of this year, an unexpected check for a large sum of money came in the mail. My wife and I bought a washer/dryer combo and a perscription of Chantix.
For 7 days, I smoked while taking Chantix as perscribed. On April 21st, the 8th day, I stopped smoking and continued to take the Chantix. 5 Days later, I stopped taking Chantix, but continued not to smoke.
Tomorrow, it will be exactly 2 months since I quit smoking and I have no intention or desire to start back up. I have been around people smoking numerous times since then, without giving in to the urge to smoke. Yesterday, I felt nautious when I smelled smoke on someone else's breath.
I know in my heart that I am 100% an ex smoker and that I will never again put a cigarette in my mouth. It is a nasty habit and I thank God I'm free of it. My wife says I am a strong minded man and could have quit without the Chantix if I really believed I could quit. Maybe she is right. All I know for certain is that the Chantix helped tremendously and regardless whether or not I had the Chantix, if I wasn't really ready to quit, nothing in this world could have helped me do so.
