I love smoking.

Smoke breaks are like little happy times throughout the day. They feel like rewards.

That's what makes smoking addictive. You go through withdrawal as the nicotine leaves your system. When you ingest more nicotine the withdrawal stops . . . and then immediately when you're done with your cigarette, begins again as your body processes out those toxins.

You've been hitting that "reward" lever for 30 years, no wonder you think it's a nice thing. But once you get that nicotine out of your system, remember that it doesn't calm you down; quite the opposite. As soon as you have another cigarette, you're picking withdrawal again.

Hardest ****ing thing ive ever done in my life! Now I can smoke when I have a few drinks but... I wake up with a cigarette headache because I make up for lost time lol. And no.. its not the whiskey. And that makes me all set with smoking for a while. But seriously... I can't workout for like two day's after because I simply can't breathe! Good for you quitting the hardest thing next to smack! And good luck to you!!

I smoked for 15 years..... I LOVE SMOKING.

I vape now. no smell, no diseases, can vape anywhere i want.... im vaping right now as a matter of fact.... mail me if you want some info on how to get started. Dont let crappy ecigs fool you. theres some damn good, realistic ones out there..... i am also a paid vaping blogger.

Edited to add i quit 6 months ago

OK what is this vaping and how does it differ from e-cigs?

Vaping is the act of using an e-cig. e-cigs produce vapour

Nope- I am not in your boat (anymore).

I once was though. Five years ago in February I quit, and like you - I LOVED everything about it. There are still days that I wish I could smoke, but its so easy to say no. Do not ecig. Get some patches, or Chantix (which is what I used) and get yourself free of that demon.

Its not something you will ever regret.

You don't love smoking. Nobody loves poisoning their body and stinking like an ashtray. I was smoking between 20 and 30 a day for almost 30 years, and used to say the same. It's our way of justifying not being able to quit.

Get yourself an electronic cigarette. I haven't smoked a "real" ciggie for 23 days and NOTHING could make me spark one up again. I have done it, and you can too. Have faith

What does the e-cig actually do for you though? Does it just replace the habit of having a cigarette in your hand and puffing on it? Do you get an actual buzz off it?

From what I understand, you get nicotine from it, so you should still get a buzz.

I used to love smoking, gave up in 2007 with the help of patches, and now I feel incredibly stupid and reckless for ever having smoked. The longer you can go without the more likely you are to not stop again, every time you have a 'cheat' one at weekends your addiction starts all over again. It's not like eating where you HAVE to do it to stay alive, cut it out completely and it will be a LOT easier in the long run xx

Well done for quitting! I've quit for almost 5 months now. I was a serial quitter before. Couldn't feel happier to be free of the slavery. I know what you're saying about enjoying smoking, but it's a dangerous thought. If you hold on to that thought you'll feel denied and will cave in. Did you really enjoy every single cigarette though? Sure first thing on the morning and after you've been without for a while. But there are thousands that you smoke without even noticing. I see it now as not as something I enjoyed but an illusion. Like enjoying the relief you get when you take tight shoes off. It wasn't real enjoyment, just relief from constant and never ending withdrawal. I love that I don't need to poison myself anymore and I'm in control!

and realize that you don't actually love smoking, you're just addicted, like I was.

I like this, and I really hope it's true...

It is true.

I loved it for a long time. I smoked from 1991-2002, averaging half a pack to a pack a day for a long time. The first time I quit was in 2002 because my boyfriend at the time (now my husband) was a non-smoker and even though he never said a word or pressured me (smart move on his part) I knew he didn't like it. I lasted all of about 2 weeks and then was smoking again BUT I never went back to smoking as much. From 2002-2007 I was basically a "social smoker" - I'd only smoke when going out for drinks or occasionally have one or two cigarettes in the evening after work. So I was averaging about a pack a week. Essentially, I weaned myself off of it.

In 2007 we were trying to get pregnant, and due to my PCOS ultimately sought the help of a fertility specialist. I was very honest about all of my health habits with the doctor and what he said was a huge wake-up call - that he couldn't control what I did, but if I ever came into his office and he smelled smoke on me, he wouldn't treat me. I figured, I knew I'd quit when I got pregnant anyway, and if I wanted to get pregnant badly enough to be seeing a fertility doctor, I wanted it badly enough to quit smoking.

Quit cold turkey July 7, 2007, and never looked back. I was pregnant with my daughter 3 weeks later. Obviously, once I was pregnant, I had even more reason to stay on the wagon, but truthfully, I don't miss it or crave it at all. What's more, as other posters have noted, now that I don't smoke, the smell of it is absolutely revolting.

OP said you're not quitting for health reasons, but a good look at my MIL might change your mind. She's only 67 but looks and acts about 20 years older, and has serious and life-threatening health conditions many of which, if not directly caused by smoking, are greatly exacerbated by it. Everyone has some example of someone they knew who smoked every day of their life and lived to be a hale and hearty 85 or something, but I promise you, those are rare exceptions, rather than the rule.

On 01/01/2013, it will be 10 years since my last cigarette. I had to quit more than once. If you can last two weeks, the habit is gone and the rest gets easier with every passing day. The only way to quit smoking is very simple, do not smoke the next one. That's the only one you have to worry about. Buproprion works for a lot of folks. Whatever it takes, because smoking kills you. I watched my uncle Tony pass with advanced emphysema, gasping for every breath. Of course I will die, we all do. But not like that. Good luck, keep it up.

Yep. Same boat as you. I love it and miss it. Its been 8 months since I quit. I do love that I can breath and I'm saving money. I guess I love that more. Yeah. I guess I do.

I hope you're right Shell because I don't want to battle this forever. I've been trying to quit for YEARS and I'm tired of the whole process. Obviously the reason I fail is that I do like to smoke so much so I just keep going back to it.

Wolfman, how's that e-cig work out for you? I've had a couple people recommend it but I'm skeptical...

It's the only thing that's worked for me in 20 years, and I've tried it all. I haven't had a puff in 2 months, 16 days, and 1 hour. My lungs are clear and I can run, bike, hike...do all the things used to love before cigarettes took complete control. If you're interested, shoot me a PM and I can be a bit more specifc with some stuff...it gets kind of confusing and complicated at first. Generally, steer clear of the over priced and virtualy worthless pieces of **** they sell at mall kiosks. Stay away from the "cig-alikes"...their ok in a pinch, but really, they're more novelty than anything. Kiosk e-cigs and "cig-alikes" contribute to more transition failures than anything else in my estimation.