Not anyone successful. My personal point of view is that in order to quit, you have to want it more than anything in the world. At that point, you can go cold turkey which in my humble opinion is the ONLY way to quit. But everyone has they're own way. Just like weight loss, some people have to go for the surgery but I feel weight loss is about dedication. Any ways, good luck my friend you can do this.

Hi, so glad to be here with all of you! I am 9 weeks since I stopped smoking! Feels great! I smoked for 25 years. Both of my parents smoke(d).

My father passed away last year of lung cancer/metz to the brain. He suffered. My mother, still smokes.

Sharing his story here because he tried Chantix, Patches, Gum, and will power...but couldn't kick the addiciton.

8 years ago they found the dime size tumor in his right lung. They told him that the location of the tumor, they would not be able to get it out...now I am not surgeon, but this still doesn't sit right with me, but anywho...I will continue. The docs told him to take Chantix to stop smoking, gave him the patch, and the gum too.

Watching him go through all of that, still did not prompt me to stop smoking.

Nothing worked, and he continued to smoke. Literally to death...as he progressively worsened over the years, the COPD cut off his will to survive and the tumor eventually sent metz to other parts.

September of 2010 the docs said that he had a stroke, but that was a misdiagnosis, it was brain tumors. Lots of them.

This STILL did not prompt me to stop smoking.

He got a little better, but that was just a short period. He was dying and we all knew it. But we smoked in spite of knowing and we "let" him smoke too. Thinking back, we let him because it was what he wanted, and we didn't want to deprive a dying man his last wish.

He was a smoker to his dying breath as he "fake" smoked an invisible to us cigarette, as he would exhale, he would grin.

So, it was January 3, 2011 and I knew he was going to die that day, because that was the first day in 25 years that I woke up and did not want a cigarette. I went to work, did not smoke on the way in, did not take my normal smoke breaks...didn't smoke after lunch. I knew it in the pit of my stomach, that I was going to say good bye to my dad that night.

I arrived at the Hospice House at 5:15 pm. Held his hand, gave him a kiss on his forehead. And watched him leave for heaven at 5:30 pm.

I had not had a smoke in 18 hours. 2 hours passed and I finally sat down to cry. I cried hard too. I smoked one right after another for the next three, maybe four hours. I woke up crying, and smoked like I had to.

We planned the funeral. I smoked.

Soon, after all the stuff gets back to normal, it was as if I lived in that cloud of smoke, until February 5, 2012. I drowned two packs of cigarettes put on a patch and said, "today is the day I stop smoking". It was Super Bowl Sunday. I missed my dad a lot that day, and thought of him a lot too. As I was filling the kitchen sink up for the ceremony, I kept thinking of him and his battle to stop smoking. He couldn't beat that addiction no matter how hard he tried. I drowned them, each and every one of them.

So, my legacy will include the day I reclaimed my life on my terms. February 5, 2012.

Now, nine weeks in since I stopped smoking, I stopped thinking about it too. I stopped beating myself up for over the wasted 25 years worth of money, poor health, and obesity. I stopped blaming myself for my three sons that smoke now, and now when I even think I am going to have a craving for a cigarette...I remember how it feels to wake up.

My goal is to be a stopped smoker. I am a stopped smoker. When you say you stop something, it is empowering because it is a choice in your head to start or stop something.

My fitness and weight loss goal is to stop shoving feelings down with food and experience the blessing of life through a different lens.

I hope this helps someone.
Kim (Maverick0216)

I'm using Chantix currently and it's awesome so far. I'm one month in and haven't smoked in 2 weeks. The thing that made me try Chantix was the success stories I've witnessed. 2 different people in my office (smokers for 13 and 20 years) used Chantix successfully and have been non-smokers now for over 1 and 2 year.

The instructions say to continue smoking like normal for the first 2 weeks (I think). But I had been advised not to follow the instructions and just keep smoking (past the instructed 2 weeks!) until you physically do not want to smoke anymore. The pill will make you want to quit. It did for me anyways.

So far I haven't noticed any real side effects -- and honestly I'm a little bummed out that I haven't had some awesome/trippy dreams!

I quit cold turkey in October 2009 after a lengthy illness (not smoking related but I took advantage of not having the strength to go outside to light up a smoke). I miss it every. single. day. I have gained about 10 - 12 pounds. I sometimes wonder if smoking would help curb my appetite again, but I am not willing to give up my non smoking status just yet. I'm trying other ways first.

Good luck to all of you.

i used zyban about 5 years ago to help quit smoking....ive also used the inhalers, patches, gums, pretty much andy NRT u can imagine without success. the zyban gave me some majorly trippy dreams and i only lasted 4 weeks before i lit up again (new years eve). the problem i found with it was that its an anti anxiety medication and i am not someone who suffers from anxiety, im also very sensitive to medication.....so i was really like the walking dead for that month. i hated the feeling (or lack of feeling, that is) that it gave me. BUT that was the longest ive ever held out, untill this time around!!! this most recent time around i wend COLD TURKEY and have been smoke free since Marcch first!!! 40 DAYS so far!

That is great!

MotherBetty for God's sake don't pick up that habbit again just to curb an appitite.
It's been over 10 years since I went cold turkey and I can't say I don't still think about having one every now and again but I know the health bennifits outweigh any pleasure I'd get. Stay strong ya'll.