Thanks, guys. I'm really happy about it. I smoked for 16 years, and have been a pack a day smoker for many of those years. The past year or so though, I've been more like a pack and a half per day. And of course, I'd have the occasional days where I'd chain smoke on a phone call or while drinking or with friends or something. I never kept strict count, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn there were days I smoked over 2 packs.
I once tried to stop on pure will power and found it impossible. That discouraged me from ever trying to stop cold turkey on pure will power ever again. I've tried cutting back using those nicotine free cigs, and I've tried e-cigs to cut down with the plan to eventually quit. Never worked though, I'd always be back to my pack a day at some point.
I could never quit on will power alone. I've tried in the past and it was miserable. In fact, I tried it yesterday morning. I decided the night before that I the cigarette before bed would be my last (it was actually three in a row!). I crushed the rest of the pack in my fist and threw them in the garbage. The next morning, it lasted as long as it took for me to get ready for work and exit the house. As soon as I was outside, I fished the cigs out of the garbage and found one that wasn't totally smashed LOL. I smoked it, and drove straight to the gas station and purchase a pack (they know me well there). I smoked almost all day at work, kind of ashamed.
What changed is something finally clicked in my head. I read this book...
https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy ... 957&sr=8-1I actually had to read it twice. The first time, I didn't fully understand the meaning. So I read it again yesterday, skipping parts that I knew I got, but focusing on the parts I knew I didn't fully understand. I was still smoking throughout the day. Then it all finally clicked, and I smoked my last cigarette. That was around 5PM EST yesterday, and I haven't smoked since.
Normally I would think, "A silly stop smoking book, I'm sure there's a million of those out there and they're all cash cows." No, this one is legit. It was given to me some months ago, and I just got around to reading it. It works, you just have to fully understand it. I had to read it more than once, but when I finally understood it, it was a very powerful revelation for me. At the risk of sounding less manly, it was such an amazing feeling that I began to cry. It's not spiritual nonsense, and it's not goofy tricks. No shock treatment, no replacements. It's just the truth. Facts, pure and simple.
The title is a bit misleading. It's easy to stop smoking, but it's not particularly easy to grasp why. You have to unlock something in your brain, and it can be hard to do. I didn't just read this book, I read it twice. I had to re-read some parts over and over, and I had to do a lot of thinking and searching. Then it finally clicked, and it honestly couldn't be more simple. It IS easy to stop smoking. The process is, like the book says, finding your way out of a maze. And the feeling I have now is odd because my body hasn't yet caught up to the fact that I no longer smoke. But the stop smoking part, yeah, it IS easy.
Anyone that feels like they can't quit, please read this book. You can keep smoking as you like, even as you read it. I honestly felt like I would never quit, and I really can't believe how easy it actually is. You just have to get some things straight in your mind first, and this book will help you do it.
/PSA
/soapbox
/rant
Gonna spend a week at the beach. I won't be posting for the next eight days or so, so let me remind you all that the bump system is the most superior RPG combat system ever devised.
I haven't smoked a cigarette for a little over 24 hours now. Stopped cold turkey, and not by using any substitutes or even will power. It's the strangest feeling, I can't quite explain it. I have no desire to smoke, but the habit is still there. If I walk outside, I almost go to reach into my pocket for a pack of smokes as an automatic response.