I started smoking when i was 11 years old, smoked for 24 years and have now stopped for almost 3 years.

Smoking, of all the addictions (from my experience) takes the most fortitude and willpower of all to quit, and i presume one of the reasons for this is the support you get from society. The support given (at least in england) for quiting cigs is almost non-existent, whereas alcohol and drug dependancys have many of their own groups of support like the AA and such. there is nothing that i am aware of regarding smoking apart from medical checks monitoring progress through oxygen levels in blood etc.

now considering statistics (you gotta love stats) say that nicotine is 10 times more phsycologically addictive than heroin, that makes for an even bigger gap in available support.

so i say that anyone here who has given up smoking for any length of time is to be congratulated and will know what a battle it really is, you really have made a decision that betters your life. those who are thinking of quiting, dont just stop smoking, look around find the reason why you really want to and hold on to that with all you got, the reason may not be obvious at first. then seek advice from those who have stopped previously, and most of all - just enjoy your life. if quiting makes you unhappy start smoking again, always quit when YOU feel it is the right time.

and smoking for me was harder than stopping drinking and drugs (both of which i had long term dependancys, drinking 17 years - drugs for 13 years, the weirdest one is stopping drinking, it really changes your life - 6 years now and no booze!! but jesus christ god-damit how much i would love to be sitting in a nice warm beer garden right now, sun on me, drinking a pint of cider and smoking some nice skunk right this minute, then onto a club with some nice loved up ladies... but i never will do this again, the cost for me is too great.

to mad, sounds like you need to change your life not your habits, if life makes you unhappy there is the thing you need to address, smoking and drinking are just the release valve on your stress. its so hard to see the open spaces when you are in the dark woods, but stick in one direction and you will meet light. at least you know why you smoke and drink, and you realise that your in the woods, its a real head start and is overlooked by most.

wrote:

nice life-skill Goddam.

wrote:

but jesus christ god-damit how much i would love to be sitting in a nice warm beer garden right now, sun on me, drinking a pint of cider and smoking some nice skunk right this minute, then onto a club with some nice loved up ladies... but i never will do this again, the cost for me is too great.

i still think that people who smoked before and now dont smoke never forget how cigo tasted, i think all time is smth like abstain for us who smoked. maybe im wrong here but already heard it from some ppl, and noticing i dont know if it is true or no

Its like sex. Once you start and you cant definitely stop . You will be only someone without a hole nearby you but not a virgin

speaking of support groups and such, i remember seeing this advertised on the streets of Belgium. Been on the site and it can provide some useful advice/information. Worth a look for the ones currently on the quit. Developed by the European Union it supports all the 27 member languages so it makes it even easier for us all.

http://www.help-eu.com/

ps. going on 12 days clean (just 1/4 of a cig 2 days ago with some bad after effects )

i started hmm i had 15-16 years old smth like that
i didint smoke about 15 moths that was in 01.I.2007, but when i lost my GF i started again, so now im smoke 10 moths? smth like that. i smoke ~1,5 pack per day.

GL and be stronger then cig.
Cheers cdy!