Hate me if you must, but I've been a smoker for over 13 years. I don't have cancer, I don't have a 'smokers cough', I don't have emphysema or any sort of breathing problem, BUT  I do have an addiction to nicotine. 13 years of habit is not an easy thing to break, but I do plan on quitting by Saturday, Nov. 29th, 2008.

 

 

Now, I know I have taken the first step, and that is deciding a quit date. I have tried quitting smoking 'on the fly', and obviously, it didn't stick, so I figured I would try to actually figure out a date and stick with it. Now, I've tried quitting smoking twice this year, but I've always found excuses to go back. I am genuinely sick and tired of paying nearly $6.00 a day for the 'luxury' of smoking... that is around $2200 a year literally going up in smoke! Now, I know I have several options when it comes to quitting... there's patches, gums, drops, prescriptions, etc.  My method is going to be cold turkey.  I figure if I can eliminate spending any more money, even if it is to help quit smoking, I might be able to cope a little better with the withdrawals. I have previously tried using Nicoderm patches, Nicorette gum, and several prescriptions, all to no avail.  My will power was not strong enough, so it was an easy relapse right back into smoking. This time, I'm determined to quit smoking, and I've also been prepping myself for this time. Mentally, I've been trying to disassociate pleasure derived from smoking... I've been trying to convince myself while I'm smoking that I'm not enjoying it and trying to amplify my distaste for it. This has resulted in me actually putting out the cigarette before it's been done. At least I'm making some initial progress!

 

 

All in all, I know I'm making a better decision for myself. Quitting smoking will undoubtedly make me a bit irate for a bit, but I do look forward to the many benefits. I look forward to feeling better about myself, not having to go outside to go have a smoke (particularly now that it's winter), and my clothes not reeking of stale cigarette smoke anymore. The best benefit for me though, will be the money I save by quitting smoking... and you can really put a price-tag on that... about $2200 a year!

 

 

This rant written by Joe Rosendorf Jr.  This is merely an opinion based on personal experiences, and is intended to inform based on those experiences.