If I were white knuckling this I would be smoking. However, I am not freaking out, I am doing very well. I believe that I was totally ready to quit, had a plan to quit, thought out the process, found this and other web sites, got help from my doctor, and the support of my friends. If you have a nicotine anonymous meeting in your area, attend it. To be successful you have to really want to be free from the addiction, the cost, the mess, the smell, the burn holes, the dirty ashtrays, the fear of disease... smoking a cigarette delievers nicotine to the brain, in addition to filling our lungs with all kinds of dangerous poisons. If you can't quit cold turkey, then get nicotine in the gum or a lozenge but if you think you can continue to smoke without damaging your lungs, and other organs, you are kidding yourself. I have been an ostrich about smoking for many years. But when my doctor said I had chronic bronchitis from smoking, that may develop into COPD, emphysema and lung cancer, I had to take a look at my behavior. There are millions more non-smokers than there are smokers. They live happily without cigarettes in their lives, and so can we. But you have to want it. You have to want it more than you want that cigarette.
