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I started smoking fully about age 15, prior experimenting with cigarettes at age 12 and smoked occasionally throughout those years without having a heavy addiction. I'm 26, almost 27 years old now and have been smoking fully for about 12 years. At age 21 I bought the patch, but it didn't work because I didn't understand addiction and was still too young to care that much. It wasn't until I got older that I started to worry that cigarettes were killing me slowly. I started to feel sick to my stomach when inhaling the smokes, but I was addicted and it had me trapped. In the past I've attempted to quit and have gone cold turkey for a few days or weeks... but when I had a few too many drinks my resolve didn't stay. I would lose hope and continue to smoke, knowing that I needed to stop soon and couldn't continue. When could I break this cycle? So... I've been quit for 6 days NOW!! I feel like a new person. I inhaled my last cigarette and realized how gross it tasted and the fact that I had to spit after smoking to rid the nicotine in my dry mouth. I got over the initial first craving and haven't turned back. What am I going to do differently to stay quit? I am not going to limit myself to a drink or so. I'm so determined now. I haven't really got deep cravings but I know that you just have to get used to not having these cigarettes in your life to keep you occupied with your time. Good Luck to those who want to quit, you can do it. Break the cycle today, be healthier tomorrow!

Hi, my name is Lisa. I smoked two and a half packs per day during the last stage of my smoking. I used to buy the nicotine patches to wear to non-smoking events, and to wear on airplane rides where of course you can't smoke. I was that bad. Nobody in my family believed that I could quit smoking. One day I just up and bought some nicotine patches and decided to quit smoking using the patches, because I knew that they worked for me temporarily, so the time had come for me to really use the patches for the right reason. The patches worked for me, but you still have to really want to quit smoking and not just rely on the patch to do all of the work for you. I also had a quit buddy via email, everyday. I also called the quit line when I needed some extra support and I got it really fast by clicking my phone number on the computer. The quit line called me right back and a coach was on the line. Now that I've quit smoking, I am saving at least $ 200.00 a month that was simply going up in smoke. I cleaned up my home and tried to get as much of the smoke out of my house as I could. Now I go to airports and other places and don’t have to worry if they are going to have a place where I can smoke. It's like having a monkey off my back. In June, I will be one year smoke-free! I no longer have to worry about all of the new non-smoking laws in Washington state, because they no longer have anything to do with my smoking. I really am free of smoking!

I started smoking my freshman year when I was about 15. I didn't really start smoking on a regular basis until summer of '07 and into the beginning of my sophomore year. A lot of my close friends also started as well. When I did start smoking on a regular basis, I needed cigarettes. Being only 16, I couldn't buy them myself due to the law. So I would have adult friends or neighbors buy them with my money. I did have the money to buy them since I had a job at the time, but when I was unable to work, I couldn't provide them for myself anymore... Coming out to my family about my habit was hard, and I didn't get very good reactions. I think we all understand that no one likes us to consume harmful things into our bodies, and no one wants to support our bad habits, but it seems like we don't really have a choice for our addiction but to have people support our habit so we don’t have withdrawal. I went into the hospital at the beginning of 2008, and I didn't have a choice but to try and quit smoking, since smoking was banned in the hospital, and I had to stay inside of the unit. My first withdrawal a day after I got there was very intense. I was shaking, breathing heavily, and panicking. Good thing I had some support by the staff, but I had the strong urge for a cigarette. And I must say that was one of the hardest things for me to sit through. I tried the nicotine gum, and that wasn't a pleasant taste and sensation, I just wanted a cigarette. Plus, the patch gave me an allergic reaction. And as you can tell, that would be very hard. So until I got out seven days later, I went straight back into the cigarettes which I should have just put down. Today, I am hoping to quit, as well as my boyfriend. My boyfriend as well as me, wants to quit before our 8 month anniversary, and that is something that would be "The right thing to do". I'm just glad that I found a brochure on how to quit, and I will research and keep trying to quit from this day.

I am 25 years old and I have been smoking since I was 12. I quit smoking four days ago and let me say: this is by far the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life. I am finding that the hardest part is trying to fill my time with other things besides smoking. I am constantly reaching for my cigarettes when I wake up and especially while I am driving. I have come to realize that I just need to change up my routines and tell myself that it’s going to get worse before it gets better and that’s okay. In just four days I feel more active, I can breathe, I am not waking up in the middle of the night having a coughing attack and I feel so proud of myself! I never thought I would be able to quit smoking and I was wrong. I just had to admit to myself that I had a problem and that if I don't do something about it now then I will eventually die from smoking. I do not want that to be the cause of my death. I know that it has only been four days but that is enough for me to know that I can kick this habit for good. I have absolutely no desire to smoke again. I am going to take it one day, one hour and one second at a time. I am much better off without it.

Reading everyone's stories really helps me... I started smoking in college when we would go to the bar. Over time, I ended up smoking about 1.5 packs a day. We used to joke that it wasn't the smoking that releaved our stress - it was getting away from the situation and deep breathing. I think we were right. I tried to quit 4 times before this, but tried medication this time and just kept telling myself - if you don't stick with it this time, you'll just have to go through it again. I have been a non-smoker for 64 days now and it has been hard lately. Reading these stories helps me fight myself - the voice that says, "you can drink when you smoke." Yeah right. I read somewhere that if you were addicted once, you can never smoke again, or else be in for a relapse. It's scary that I would even do this to myself - but it's not too late to fix it. And I'm worth it.

Smoking has become too much a part of my life. Addiction changed the way I think about almost everything. Not only addiction to cigarettes, but to alcohol as well. I’ve been sober for 4 months so far. I started smoking cigarettes about a year ago and it was great for about the first 3 or 4 months, until I realized I depended on them. I tried to quit but it seemed impossible, so I kept on smoking the nicotine a pack and a half everyday. My throat has been screwed up for too many of those months, but I just keep smoking, creating more health problems such as sinusitis, tonsillitis and not being able to BREATHE! People really take breathing for granted. I am in the process of trying to replace my cravings for nicotine with other things and activities. But it’s going to take a lot of work. Hopefully this time I will quit.

I haven't quit yet, but quitting has been on my mind for the past six months. The day finally came when I thought the taste was past disgusting. Now I'm down to two or three smokes per day. I want that to go down to zero.

I was 13 when I started. I remember having a hard time inhaling. I had asthma (yes I know!), but I wanted to fit in and be cool! I tried and tried and finally I was able to smoke a full cigarette without coughing or wheezing. Funny, but I think somehow smoking helped me get over my asthma. Could it be that inhaling the smoke expanded my lungs and actually helped me breathe better? After smoking for 30+ years, 2 cartons per week, I decided to quit before my 45th birthday! My doctor suggested a combination of the nicotine patch and gum. I purchased those and decided on a quit date of December 12, 2006. Armed with the gum and patches, I quit. I figured the sooner the nicotine was out of my body, the sooner the cravings would go away! Well, I’m not sure about that, but I’m now on day 36. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s getting easier! At first, be prepared to count the hours, the days and the dreaded weekend. Then, out of the blue, more cravings and temptations will come at you - parties, bars, long drives, vacations, camping, etc. Just be prepared to say “NO THANKS, I DON”T SMOKE!” I know that asthma or emphysema could be knocking at my door sooner than later if I continue to smoke. No thanks! I know the feeling of struggling for your next breaths! I say take a deep breath, enjoy and decide to quit today. Good luck.

I found the devil of smoking really IS in the details. It’s the small things that have changed that have made the greatest impact. Every smoker knows the maladies that align with the addiction—the big "C", emphysema, heart disease, etc.—it’s true, I remember being reminded of those issues many, many times by non-smoking friends and colleagues. That knowledge never had the effectiveness to get a true smoker like myself to quit. And never once have I thought, ‘boy am I glad I quit smoking, now I won’t get CANCER.’ I must also admit that I had no initial intentions of quitting smoking. I loved smoking, I loved the way it helped me relax, I loved the way it enabled me to have a break during the hectic days. But my office had a quit smoking contest, and frankly, I was pressured to enter. And when the contest started, July 5th, 2006, I couldn’t just tap out the first day. I’d at least give it a shot. The first day was terrible. I was in a fog, literally, my vision seemed blurred—I had a headache, I couldn’t concentrate…I even felt angry that I couldn’t smoke. It really struck me on that first day how badly I was addicted. Every smoker knows they are addicted, but it is eye-opening to feel the effects. Thinking that I loved smoking and being angry about quitting were really just the addiction talking. It wasn’t long before I started to notice the small things. I could tell those who had just smoked. I realized how detectable those ‘pre-meeting’ cigarettes must have been. And holy crap, did my car REEK of stale smoke. I didn’t have to worry about those mornings when the carton ran out and I’d have to stop at a convenience store. And smokers, you know how it goes…you drop the lighter while driving and it falls into the black hole under the emergency brake. That’s the day you get green lights all the way home so there’s no chance of digging it out without resorting to elbow-driving. And how about finding a source of fire after getting off a plane? A long plane ride after being stripped of all lighters by an overzealous Homeland Security officer? How about trying to watch a long movie in a theatre where all the actors are chain smoking? Asking for the check at a restaurant before the meal is finished so I can pay and get outside to smoke as fast as possible? Have you ever had to leave a crowded concert hall or stadium event mid-show to navigate to an acceptable smoking area? The house seems less dusty, there’s no constant supply of ash on the coffee table, no butts in the driveway, when I get a cold, I don’t have 4 extra weeks of sci-fi phlegm cough, and when I’m having fun with friends I don’t break into the ‘old lady laugh’ (HA HA ha ha HACK HACK HACK). At the end of this month, I hope to be able to blow out all my birthday candles. Or maybe at least half of them. It’s true, I failed at that for quite a few years now (picture the old asthma inhaler commercials). All of these little things are what really helped me stay off the smokes, they were the counter to any resistance I might have had. The little stresses of the habit are not as apparent when one is still smoking. If you still smoke, look at all the stress maintaining the habit puts on your daily life. Smoking doesn’t give you the respite from stress, it adds to your stress. Think of all the little things you endure to smoke. The next time you light up that cigarette, think about everything you had to go through for that 'privilege'. Better yet, notice them yourself as you go through the process of quitting. As a PostScript, I am also grateful that my boyfriend, who only a few weeks back lost his uncle to lung cancer, also quit (as he was the culprit of the butts in the driveway and front lawn). Between the two of us, I figure we have saved about $1500 in six months.

This is not only about smoking, it's about gaining control of my life. There are so many things that I cannot control. I tend to act and find myself not being able to hold back even if I try. There are some things that I've managed to refrain from like drinking, and the need to call my ex-husband, but not smoking always gets me really anxious and I give in to it to relieve that anxiety. I want to be able to control my impulses. I've told myself for the last few weeks that I'm going to stop but have not been able to just yet. Hopefully this will be it.

I started out as a good student in high school. I was nationally ranked high school wrestler. In college, I was successful on both academically and athletically becoming an “All American”. Needless to say, I developed a very bad drugs habit. Anyway, I'm done with that now and trying to get back where I began. I developed my smoking habit along with my drugs habit. I've decided to split up the rest of my pack and finish off my last pack Nov. 20 cold turkey. That's it. I've faced heroin and cocaine withdrawals and I can do this too. There's no use for tobacco. It's all in your mind. I'm going to make a list of reasons to why I should quit along with other helpful things. Then I'm going to put all those things in my last cigarette pack. And when I have the urge to smoke, I'm just going to read that list. I'm also planning on keeping busy and staying kind of secluded for the following three weeks. I'm also on psychiatric meds now too, because the uppers and downers made my brain a little haywire. My ultimate goal is to set myself free of all my addictions. From my past drug use, I've realized it's all in your head, and don't give in to cravings. Once you've wrestled everything else in life, this should be easy. Good luck.

Just making the call is the most important step in the quitting process. One woman told me that she had put the quit line number on her fridge and looked at it every day for eight months. After finding the courage to actually make the call, she was ready to give up the cigarettes for good. By making the call, people begin a journey that will change their lives.