Smokers?

[Silver200]

So how many smokers do we have here? I personally don't smoke, as it never really appealed to me, plus it can become an expensive habit and since I'm usually low on funds it's best for me to avoid it.

Also, if you do smoke, have you ever tried to quit? I hear it's quite hard, and I can see why. I've been addicted to other things and it's not that easy giving it up..

[webo]

Well you found one right here. I have been smoking for way to long, but I love it.  I know I need to stop, but it is really hard.  I have tried to before but I only made it a few weeks and I was right back at it.

[MichMomma]

I am not a smoker but I did try when I was younger. I didn't like it and I lost too many people that were close to me to lung cancer. My husband use to smoke but he quit when I was pregnant with my, now 7 year old. I was so proud of him when he quit but now he has been doing another nasty habit, chewing tobacco. That has got to be worse than smoking. He spits that stuff in empty bottles or cans and even in the garbage can. I can't stand the fact that he does it and have asked him several times to quit but he just says that he is too addicted to it.

[Silva]

My husband and I are both ex-smokers. In November 1996 he had a heart attack and we both decided to stop smoking. I was reluctant because I thought I enjoyed it, I had never tried to stop before, and I really didn't want to, but I bought a book called "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Alan Carr, read it and came to the conclusion that I really did NOT like smoking and it was a bad thing that I had to get rid of.

I stopped without any aids in January 1997 and have not had a cigarette since, nor do I feel that I have "given up" as it was no sacrifice. My husband wasn't so successful. The book didn't work for him. He tried all the aids going and finally made it in 2002, after another heart attack. He currently takes snuff but I am so glad that he no longer smokes.

[Sidzler]

Personally I never support smoking and won't do it for the rest of my lifetime. I have seen many of my close ones who have fallen in trouble only due to smoking. I would like to give only one small advice to all smokers who are reading this. It may seem great and people may think you are powerful when you smoke but it's only you who are killing yourself, slowly !

[buddys]

My father smoked when I was young and finally managed to quit about 6 months before he died.  I never started because I had been burned by cigerettes (by accident not on purpose) when I was growing up.  I hated it.  I hated the way it smelled, I hated the way the second hand smoke make me feel, I hated the way that Dad had to stop what he was doing with me to have a smoke.  It's a nasty habit and I try every day to talk someone into quitting.

[NicoletteF]

I have been a smoker for about 18 years now. I quit during each of my pregnancies but found myself smoking again after they were born. I've wanted to quit for along time now but everytime I get stressed I go right back to my old habits. I have the classic triggers like, smoking on the phone, after I eat, and while driving. If I could quit I would! I just can't.

[Silva]

Yes you can....after a week or two of discomfort (it won't kill you) you'll be rid of the little gremlins that need the nicotine. I know, I've done it. Have faith! There is life after cigarettes.

[Jenncat]

I personally am not a smoker. I tired it once but didn't like it. My Jeanette was a smoker and she then got cancer from smoking and past away about 3 years ago. I miss my aunt alot.

[Silva]

I'm very sorry to heat about your aunt. My mum died at the age of 66 due to a massive heart attack. She smoked though my dad got rid of the habit when he was 40. He is now 83.

[radiantph]

When I was in college, a colleague of mine urged me to try smoking a cigarette just once so I gave it a try even though I didn't want to. The next day we were having an exam, I keep coughing and it was unstoppable. Another classmate nudged me on my back telling me to keep quiet. Smoking really put my throat and lungs in trouble.

It's not a good idea for me to smoke. Smoking is not for me. I've learned my lesson.

[Gidget]

I started smoking when I was 14, and I smoked for 20 years.  Then I quit.  I got acupuncture to help me.  I don't buy it when someone says "I can't".  Both of my parents quit, both of my inlaws quit, several cousins quit, and some of these people had been smoking 40-50 years or more.  If they can do it, anyone can do it.  My dad started smoking at 9 years old and was smoking 5 packs a day when he finally quit at age 60.

[Paloma]

Next february I can celebrate my 3 annviersary of being  a non-smoker.

The only bad side effect it had for me was to get some extra pounds on my hips.

[jenErey64]

I am not a smoker. I can't even handle being around someone smoking or an area that smells of smoke. I have seen the effects of smoking and don't want to live like that. Congrats to all of you who managed to kick the habit!

[Irelyn]

Unfortunately, yes I do smoke. I quit for an entire year at one point and started again when I went through a divorce. I am going to get one of those electronic cigarettes and try that. Has anyone tried those yet? I have found with me it is not so much the nicotine as the actual smoking that is hard for me to give up.

[ElizabethPA]

I actually just wrote a review article for an electronic cigarette yesterday and it was the first time I had heard of one. I have been smoking for 17 years and I am truly ready to quit! The electronic cigarettes are expensive but I think I may have to make the investment because nothing else has helped me to quit.

[LilyRose]

You've got another former smoker here. I quit 3 years ago this coming January. Quitting is a very difficult thing to do, but it can be done. You just have to reach that point in your life where you truly don't want to smoke anymore. For me, the first 3 weeks were the worst. I tried to stay away from anyone who was smoking as much as I could. (Which really bit into the social life.) It was easier to be around it again after that.

For those of you who think you can't quit.... yes, you can. It's just a matter of finding that stopping spot. I tried to quit 5 different times before I got to the point where I said, "Hey, this is it. This is the last of it." I've never felt better. I've gained a few extra pounds (not a bad thing in my case), but I've never felt better.