Hotscot

I was reading that Ronnie Wood was cutting down on hard liquor as he's 75!

He also said that giving up cigarettes was harder than giving up heroin.

zzrmark

I too find the smell, both of the smoke and stale odours hauseating but I also know that I could quite easily smoke another - even though the Drum would make me hack my lungs up and cough up blood. I was originally off them for 12 years but starting off again was so easy.
Nowadays it's not something that I think about too often, nobody in my immediate circle smokes and spending much of my working day on trailer parks full of old codgers smoking and coughing their guts up just makes me wonder why they still do it.

OP: Great progress, especially living with a smoker. Has your good lady made inroads on cutting back/quitting?

civilservant

She's still smoking the lights, but has come down from a pack a day to 5 a week, which is somewhat of a reduction.

She is currently on day 4 of quitting drinking, which is probably going to a somewhat harder task.

Nutmegger

Good luck to her. The two habits are prone to be somewhat inextricably linked, so cutting out the drinking will probably help with cutting out the cigarettes.

Guindalf

Today, June 15th at 6:45pm, marks four years since I smoked my last cigarette (or anything else, for that matter!).

civilservant

lizzyq

Well done to both of you 👍

Jerseygirl

Yes, very well done to all who have kicked the smoking habit. Wish I could kick the sugar/carb addiction.

civilservant

RICH

Went to doctor yesterday for first time in 10 years .
Had to tell at least 3 people l smoked 25 a day for 30 years. Not motivated to stop. Maybe the upcoming skin/lung/ colon cancer screenings will motivate me.

civilservant

It’s been over 18 months since I quit, and 3 months since my wife quit. We’re doing ok

caretaker

Good for you, and it's a good milestone for your wife since most people start again within 3 months.

civilservant

Indeed! Chantix worked wonders for her, she reduced and reduced over the first 2 packets (8 weeks) and then quit entirely.

Guindalf

I'm less than a month away from my next landmark. June 15th will be FIVE YEARS since I quit!

Just typing that amazes me as I really wasn't bothered if it worked or not. I had six months of Chantix, virtually no side effects of rages, and was lucky enough to get the meds at zero cost. I've been through some extreme emotional events during this time including the loss of both my parents, a major fall out with my sister (haven't spoken in years), medical issues for both me and my DW that no-one would have blamed me for reaching for the demon nicotine, but I managed to ride them all out.

I still have half a pack of Marlboro Special Blend in the door of my car, untouched, as a reminder.

zzrmark

That is great.
As Guindalf I too am going to hit the five year mark this year, although prior to that I did three months off three months on since November 2013, all cold turkey. (Thanks to VWP restrictions and the distinct lack of rolling tobacco in this neck of the US).