Timothy I am an actress. Many years ago I had quit for a year or so and then was cast in a show where the character I played smoked. I was in my 20s back then at Summer Intime on the Princeton University campus, (before I turned professional) and thought, well, I'll just smoke only during the rehearsals and then only during the show. It was only a couple of weekend performances as I recall. Well the smoking "only during the rehearsals" turned into smoking every day... turned into the next 30 or 40 years of smoking.
Right now I think you're trying to convince yourself to quit for God and for the abuse of animals but I want you to think about another reason. Those reasons are great, but they're kind of removed from us, I think tangibly, no? They're concepts. It's like looking at cigarette packages that give us warnings about the negative health effects of smoking, but they don't mean anything psychologically, really. They don't impact us emotionally, I guess I'd put it.
To me quitting can't be impersonal. We don't last long when we quit for something or somebody other than ourselves. (Speaking of my experience only here. Others may disagree.) God may be our impetus, but it's the God within us, that Best of Us that we have to pay attention to. So I think the more personal you can make this quest, the stronger your journey will be. God gives us the wisdom to understand that smoking is not good for us. To honor God we need to honor that best part of us, right?
The money we save is great. The fact that we smell better, don't cough as much, etc., is great. But until we "get" exactly what this addiction does to us, and "get it" in an emotional way, we're going to be in it's clutches. The way I've found to get out of the clutches of this addition is to read and study and learn as much as possible about the addiction. But most importantly to read and study and learn from those here who have YEARS of experience, who have wisdom to share about their OWN lives through their own experiences of how smoking has impacted their health. We may think it's not gonna happen to us, but when you see it happening all the time to those you care about on a daily basis, it kind of changes the impact.
We don't relate as well to strangers and their problems as we do when we know the person. Having been on this site for 13+ years, I've gotten to know the people here. They aren't strangers any more. We may think it's not gonna happen to us, but when you see it happening all the time to people here on this site - it becomes not only a factual truth as to what this addiction does, what smoking does, but an emotional truth. And that's what I mean by "getting it." Because when you "get it" on that level, there is no burden and back and forth in your mind about smoking. Smoking becomes not an option. And when smoking becomes that, the pain of recovery is a small blip on your craving radar. I hope you get there.
Would love to know what movie you were going to watch that had the ad for this website... if you can recall.
And PS, if I were now ever cast in a play or a movie where I was told I had to smoke, I'd have to turn down the role. I know that I can never put a cigarette in my mouth without becoming a full-blow smoker again. And I won't go back to another day one NO MATTER WHAT.
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Yes, today was to be my quit date, but I smoked this morning. 
I don't desire to beat myself up about that. I beat myself up way too much already. 
I like that you said that quitting needs to be a gift to myself and not some kind of duty or obligation to another. Right now, I'm sitting outside (no cigarette in hand) and the sun is reflecting off my phone, producing a rainbow effect. Colors excite me. I am a painter and crazy good about that. God has blessed me with many talents, i.e., acting, writing, painting, etc. Everything I do creatively, it's got all my heart and emotions in full display. I'm always going inside and deep sea diving to know me better. Love is usually what I find. And I'm as kind and sweet and compassionate to every person and animal I meet as you can imagine, but I often deny myself these same qualifies. I hear from friends often enough, "Timothy, stop being so hard on yourself!" And they're right, of course. I'm always trying to prove my worth to another person, but God reminds me that He approves of me and nothing I do or don't do, say or don't say, think or don't think, will ever change His approval of me. His Love is unconditional. But I still try to prove myself to others anyway. Oh, and yeah, the film I was watching was DOUBT (great play and film; a masterclass in acting!) Hope to hear from you soon! Blessings always, Timothy
