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I smoked for 20 years. I started at a very young age. I enjoyed smoking so much. I didn't think I could ever quit. The problem with cutting back and not quitting is eventually you will be right back to the 2 to 3 packs a day. If you really love smoking I can almost guarantee you will not be able to control yourself for very long. I know cause I tried it. I did fine for awhile but eventually I ended up right back to the 2 packs a day.
I had to finally get really mad before I could quit. It was impossible for me to taper. I just decided one day I would try not to have one that day only. And that is how it played out. Never promised anyone I would quit for good. Just took it one day at a time. I didn't even throw them away for a very long time. I still miss them every now and then. I am different than many as I really loved smoking. So for me it was difficult but I did it and to this day I am amazed at that.
Good luck.
doglover

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You nailed 100% to the wall with that post. I don't want to sound condescending or know-it-all, but the hard truth is that when you truly, honestly, seriously, deep in your heart & gut want to quit, you will quit with some irritation but nothing deadly that you can't handle. It could be a lot worse. It's not like you're giving up your liver or a leg or something, it's just a tobacco product and (as I looked at it in my situation) it controlled me, not me controlling it, and that was intolerable. If I couldn't quit smoking something as trivial as cigarettes then what kind of man was I? People survive cancer and worse, yet I can't get over that after-dinner smoke. How pathetic (my personal thoughts about myself at that time). I am in my mid-30s and, like most of my friends, started smoking during highschool/college. We all started out socially (this beer just tastes better with a smoke, and darn it but this smoke just tastes better with this beer! ) and eventually we hit our peaks - mine was at about a pack or 1 1/2 a day which was average for most of my friends, although 1 or 2 or them did get up to 2 or 3 packs a day. 15+ years later I have quit smoking except for the occasional butt I bum from friends who still smoke, but now I barely smoke it and when I'm finished I don't want another one and I do notice how bad it tasted, how "head-rush" like it made me feel (which I DON'T like at all), how it made my breath and clothes reek of stink, and all the other bad stuff I dealt with when I was a "full time" smoker. I refuse to let them control me anymore, and I can say that I have been a rarely-social smoker for longer than I remember exactly, but it's been at least 2 or 3 years. But to reiterate, you have to MAKE YOURSELF want to quit, to be disgusted with yourself for always "trying" to quit and not sucedding (usually just trading one habit - cig - for another - a patch/gum/pipe tobacco/chewing/dipping/whatever). To truly quit you need to be able to honestly swear in your deapest most secret heart of hearts that you WANT to quit -- remember, you DO want to quit, that's the purpose of this exercise, so don't fight yourself anymore than necessary. What side of the game are you on, your own team, or tobacco's team! It can be done, just get sick of it. It's not that difficult when you only focus on the negatives....

and as an added incentive, if you are a benzo patient (xanax/valium/ativan/klonipin/etc) tobacco smoking reduces the power of the med so quitting may make your med more effective AND save you more money.


HTH.

L - I really loved smoking too, but there comes a time when all "good" things must come to an end.

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