I tried many times to quit smoking. I tried cold turkey; I tried making a bet of who could quit first; and I tried using a nicotine patch, but none of them worked. Until my 6 year old son asked me to quit smoking so that he would not have to see me with whole in my neck to breath out of, (he had just seen one of those movies in school). I had been cutting back a little here and there and really wanted to quit, and this combined with knowing the health issues of smoking were enough to give it another try.

Any time you try to quit smoking you have to approach it that you will quit smoking, or it won't have chance to work. You must be totally committed regardless of what method you use. But if it doesn't work, absolutely try another method, or the same method again. Quitting smoking is so incredibly important, and it will never get any easier than now.

I had been smoking for almost 20 years, and was down to one and a half packs a day when I quit. I started my 3 week count down with 1 pack the first day, and reduced it by one cig. each day afterward. I bought some vitamin B12, cinnamon sticks, and lolly pops. The B12 is to take at night before going to sleep. B12 will help to flush the nicotine from your body, which is what causes you to crave another cigarette. Doing this at night will allow you not to feel the craving. Every day consciously try to go longer without a cig until you're down to 0. Simple right. If it were easy, no one would be smoking any more. I used the cinnamon sticks and lolly pops to give my hands something to do when I wanted a smoke and it wasn't time yet. I am thin, so I had no problem with the lolly pops. The cinnamon sticks worked great, but after a few they started burning my tongue.

Towards the end of my 3 weeks, when I was down to 5 or less cigs, I would light one and take only one drag of it, then put it out and save it for later. I (like sooo many other people) like to drink, and smoke while I'm drinking. So I made it a point to go to the bar during my last week of smoking, and the first two weeks after I quit, to 'get used' to the idea of not smoking while I was drinking. The sooner you do this the easier it is, as your resolve to quit is stronger.

I have been smoke free for 8 years, and don't even feel like an x-smoker, but as a non-smoker. I love the smell of cigarettes, but I know that if I smoke one it won't smell as good, so I'm content with smelling as occasional cigarette and enjoying it's odor.