Well my OP has provoked a lot of interesting comments!
So to anyone out there thinking about giving up, from what I remember
- decide that you really really want to do it; it's no good to you or anyone else if you aren't truly committed; why go though all the angst and then start again?
- decide your reasons for giving up, and write them down, if you waver later on read what you said at the beginning, for most little will have changed .
- put the money aside you save by quitting and then buy something, I bought records, I still have them and a few are now collectors items if I ever chose to sell them; if you want to save for a major holiday this is the way to do it, if you are on 20 a day, over a year it costs you at least �ã2500, and if you work and pay tax at the standard rate that's about �ã3100 before tax out of your wages/salary just going up in smoke
- try to do without gums, funny electronic sticks and the like, you will only become addicted to them later on
- decide how you are going to do it; slowly cut down or stop straight away, the latter is best since you have no excuses to keep on smoking or just have an 'extra one'
- you will be grumpy for at least a month, just deal with it, you are a responsible adult after all, aren't you?, with a reason for quitting
- you start to notice an improvement when you start to cough up the black bits that have accumulated in your lungs; you won't see your lungs but they will slowly start to turn pink from grey or black; and, if you have one, your cough will go and you will find you breath easier,
- yourself and where you live, and if you smoke in the car, will slowly stop smelling of tobacco smoke
- you will start to regain your taste and smell
- it takes at least 5 years plus before you start thinking of yourself as a non smoker; you will be tempted up until then; 'well one won't hurt' etc etc'
- and if like me you took a drag on an ordinary cigarette 15 years on you will truly find it disgusting
- best of luck to anyone out there who gives it a try