On smoking... ready to go there again today. Man, the body wants to just smoke offhand and by nature and avoid trying not to something fierce. Day before yesterday it just went out of my mind for hours but that will not be so. There are NO meaningless ciggys. Michelle, I'm so glad you know someone who tried acupuncture with success. I had wondered about that. I think I will go after my trip, maybe before! I had a great acupuncturist that helped by back a lot but not enough to justify the unfortunate cost. Short-term issues I'd definitely try with him! Pete, you are 100% right, I know from my dad's experience with AA, and from how darned addicted I am. I don't think I can EVER handle one after I stop. Nicotineless, OK. OK for a long while anyway, I appease my addict brain. Msjam, Happy Happy Chantrix Dance! Oh, I'm hearing such good things about that drug; it is great to hear from an observer of a bad addict. Yes, my appointment with my doc is soon, and I'm definitely trying that. Thanks! vjcamp, Congratulations!!! It slipped up on me, too... hanging out with my club and punk friends and I guess we thought it was cool but not consciously. Eventually I couldn't NOT smoke in my parents house fighting with my BF on the phone. I was a goner after that. Senior year and now half my life!!! Susan, congratulations!! Hey, roses baby, always roses or decor. Right now it's more expensive to quit and there's something very wrong with that equation! I'm trying to be conscious of every cigarette, definitely, and remember all the bad. Foghorn, congrats on two counts!! Yeah, no 'just try one' for me... hey I thought when I started that I'd never get hooked!! April, 12...man! Congratulations!! I hadn't even thought of the fact that I will be so proud, but I will. Good motivator there. Thank you! Debra, so good to see you!! My Ex quit pretty easily, but he did not have nic fits like I get. Unfortunately, it's not just the gnawing craving but I literally get sleepy, confused, etc. I am trying to take the UK trip as the big step RE quitting. I don't know that I can go all the way, but I swear I will stop all but the most 'crucial' of cigarettes. I'm afraid to try more with all the work I have to do there :( Hopefully the Chantrix and change of locale will allow me to go farther... we'll have to see! Hoov and Sue, I am so sorry about your fathers. When my mother was in the hospital she asked me to quit smoking [she was dying of cancer but never smoked] and it pains me that I could not stop for her then. It is indescribable how strong a hold cigarettes can have, and I am so sorry that y'all had to be hurt so by that. It is a very sad thing, and infuriating that we smokers don't 'get' that when we smoke the first one. Cupshaped, Strength to you!!! If it helps, you can imagine a day, a YEAR [!!] without a cigarette, so you will succeed! Remember the bad, the hurting of folks and yourself... you are RIGHT THERE. Do they have Chantrix in Denmark? Worth a try! However you do it, keep it up and the best of luck!! Julie, good luck!!!!! What I have read about Chantrix, 'you ain't seen nothin' yet'. I hope so! One drag is excellent going in to it! Keep up the good work! Remember there are nicotine-free cigs out there, non-nicotine inhalers to drag on.... let me know if you need me to send you a couple; I'm stocking up!! Hopefully my QT watch comes today, the doc appt is soon, and I'm thinking of my UK trip as an exciting venture in many ways :)

I forgot about this thread till someone mentioned it on another forum. I QUIT!!!! 18 days ago, I quit after 35 yrs of smoking!! I was using patches but I started getting headaches and yesterday they made me sick as a dog. I called Habitrol and they told me to discontinue the patches. The patches made it soooo easy and now I'm bumming. I'll keep on tho because I have to do this. I have a new granddaughter and I want to live to see her grow up. My husband is my best friend and (as someone said) I can't bare the thought of he or my children taking care of me when I'm sick. I began to feel better within a few days. My sense of smell and taste returned within 5 days. Already I don't cough as much...and believe me, I was not a lightweight smoker. I can relate to everything the smokers/former smokers here have said. Avoiding functions/places/people becasue of this nasty habit. You really do have to be ready to quit. Make out a list of all the reasons you want to quit. Figure out how much it cost you moneywise and what you would spend that money on. Keep the list near by. I went to WHYQUIT.com and I'm using every other tool and crutch available. I can't imagine dying of lung cancer. It's a horrible, awful way to die. I'm only at the beginning of my own journey into shaking this addiction. Feel free to mail me if you need support. I will not EVER put other people down, or make anyone feel bad for smoking. Ps, I'll send anyone that wants them the 3-4 21mg patches that I have left if you want them, postage paid. Try them, it won't hurt. I think it will surprise you. I also have some Committ lozenges which I find disgusting. Want some? But I'll keep most of them as a yucky back-up.

By my calculator, it looks like you regain a day of life for every week you are a non-smoker. I've gone a whole week, not smoked 300 cigs, and saved 45.00. Can't believe it!! Weed, you can do this but I have to admit - as many times as I thought about it - there was this one epiphany (happened to be at 12:15 AM!) that just said, "I'm done." And I knew I was. The supplemental Nicotine is very helpful and as my brother said, "I'd rather wear a patch the rest of my life then smoke cigarettes again!" Pawprint didn't need his long. I need fewer lozenges per day. It's just a matter of tapering down rather then cold turkey. Hang in there! Pawprint, Just HOW does one gain weight after quitting smoking when you hardly ever sit down anymore? I've gotten more done in this past week then in a normal month - LOL. DH says that everytime he calls home I'm like, "Blah, blah, blah, blah" on the phone talking a mile a minute! Certainly do have 10X the energy I had before!!!! - and it makes me feel ten years younger (and THAT I needed!!!). TNLady

All addiction is thought to have a genetic component. It is the same from alcohol to nicotine to gambling. An intro can give you an idea... "considerable portion of variation in liability (Falconer 1965) to substance use disorders (SUD; addictions) is nonspecific to particular drugs (Tsuang et al. 1998; Kendler et al. 2003a). As shown in twin studies, the general (common) liability mechanisms are shared at the genetic level with antisociality/externalizing behavior (Krueger et al. 2002; Kendler et al. 2003b). As those studies estimate, this general addiction liability is significantly heritable." Genetic Relationship Between the Addiction Diagnosis in Adults and Their Childhood Measure of Addiction Liability, Behavior Genetics, by Michael Vanyukov1, 2, 3 , Kevin Kim4, Daniel Irons5, Levent Kirisci1, 2, Michael Neale6, Ty Ridenour1, Brian Hicks7, Ralph Tarter1, 2, Maureen Reynolds1, Galina Kirillova1, Matt McGue5 and William Iacono5 (1)Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Forbes Ave. Suite 203, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA (2)Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA (3)Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA (4)Department of Psychology in Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA (5)Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA (6)Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA (7)Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA