Cigarettes... Anyone else have/had this problem?

The only way to quit is to just go cold turkey. If you aren't 100% committed, you will not be able to quit. I smoke 1 or 2 cigars a year with my friends when we are all together. I will never smoke a cigarette because I know the consequences.

Once you quit though, you'll see your cardio improve significantly I am sure! If you wait too long, you might cause permanent damage.

I smoked for 20 years +/- a pack a day, I quit on February 4th 2011 and haven't looked back. You have to want it and be ready for it or else you are not going to be able to do it. As with anything else in life its up to you to make it happen, that means take control and use the willpower that everyone has and just do it. It takes a while to get the wind back, I'd say about the 6 month mark I noticed the difference.

good luck.

I had this problem, and even worse it started when i was an athelet back in high school around 15!!! YIKES!! I "quit" when i got pregant with my first baby at 17, then I started again after he was one, then I "quit" again when I got pregnant with my second baby when he hit one (all of these times were cold turkey, notice how I "quit"), then I QUIT again and forever more when I was trying for my third baby, the way that I made sure this time I was never going back was I rationed my cigarettes and gave myself a goal, I had smoked a pack a day for years on and off, this time I knew I was trying for a baby (other times were unplanned) and I was not going to subject my child to that harm (never did I smoke with or around my children while pregnant or otherwise) So I said, I have 20 cigarettes, I have one week to use them up (wierd logic I know, but I told myself that anyway) so I smoked five one day, four the next, three the next, two the next and one the next that totalled 15 cigs in five days and I had five left and only two days left to use them, but I was counting down I had no where else to go after only one a day except zero so I broke the last five in half and tossed up in the toilet at work!!!! never again!! basically I told myself everyday that I had a choice do it right or you fail, and I knew how to do it right... the best part is this time I do not care to ever see another cigarette again, I can be around people that smoke and I do not even care.. I sit out in the yard with family and friends and bbq and there are cigarettes everywhere and I do not even blink an eye... I think it is because I told myself once you get to one there is no other number left!!!
since I quit i received my bachelors in health care related studies, I am obese and can still run around with my kids all four plus a newborn, quitting gave me my life back go get your life back now!!!

You can do it! I know you can

think of this also.. all these things happen as soon as you quit, the benefits are endless!!!!!! I places **** next to all the immediate benefits.

http://www.healthcommunities.com/quit-smoking/what-happens-if-I-quit-smoking_bht.shtml?alt_title=1

"Although you may not consciously be aware of the benefits of quitting in the first few days, your body is actually reaping the rewards almost as soon as you’ve stubbed out your last cigarette.

****Twenty minutes after your last puff your blood pressure and heart rate drop; within 12 hours, your carbon monoxide levels are back to normal. When you were smoking, carbon monoxide levels in your blood were raised, which hindered its ability to carry oxygen to your cells. Your lungs will start to regain some of their normal functions within two to three months of quitting. You will be able to breathe easier and will be coughing much less than people who continue to smoke. Every single cigarette you smoke damages your breathing.

****After one year of quitting smoking your risk of heart attack drops sharply. During your years of devotion to cigarettes, the smoke you inhaled damaged the structure and function of blood vessels, which increased the risk of a dangerous build-up of plaque in your arteries. Over time, plaque hardens and narrows the arteries, increasing the risk of a heart attack. After two to five years, the chance of you having a stroke is nearly the same as that of a non-smoker.

Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder ****is cut in half five years after quitting smoking. Tobacco smoke damages the DNA in your cells, the 'instruction manual' that tells cells how to develop. This can cause cells to grow out of control which is how cancerous tumors begin to form. According to the 2010 U.S. Surgeon General's Report, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would not happen if nobody smoked.

Remember that when you quit, it’s not only your health that will improve but that of your children as well. Secondhand tobacco smoke damages the tissues of unborn babies and it can lead to short- and long-term health concerns in children, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

Further Benefits if You Quit Smoking
Although there are many scientifically proven benefits to quitting smoking, there’s a whole world of social and lifestyle advantages to kicking the habit too. These include:

Saving lots of money: Smokers typically pay higher life and health insurance premiums, and not having to buy cigarettes anymore can keep a lot of cash in your wallet.
Leading a more active lifestyle (no more gasping for air on that hike)
Smelling a lot sweeter – you may have not noticed the foul odor smoking can cause…but it’s likely that others have.
Feeling more confident that you’ll be there to take part in happy future events, such as graduations and weddings
Being a healthy living role model to those around you

Whatever age you are, it is never too late to give up smoking and enjoy the benefits of a cigarette-free lifestyle.

By Paul Arnold"

Allen Carr's Easy Way book sorted me out cold turkey after 20 odd years, it's worked for a fair few others I have recommended it to.

You do still REALLY have to want to quit though, if it clicks with you then it's really simple. One day you are a smoker, you read the book, next day you just don't see the appeal. It deprograms you.

Good luck.