What finally worked for me was...

[WheelWalker]

I started smoking my second year of college, in 1968. By 1972 I was using smokeless tobacco, as well. Thereafter, both, every day until May 14, 2003. But nicotine hasn't again brushed these lips since 7:30 a.m. on that day.

I had awakened about 1:30 that morning to go to the bathroom, and felt like I had contracted a sudden and very nasty chest cold. The crap was going around the office, so I was half expecting it, but it did seem that it came on, full blown, awfully sudden. I went back to bed and laid there for a while thinking about how sudden it had come on and it occurred to me that it could be a heart problem. My father, my older brother and my father's sister (a cloistered nun) all stroked off at age 53, so I had been taking a full aspirin a day since I was 34. I really didn't think it was a heart attack but decided, what the heck... I AM 53, and if it was or wasn't, it wouldn't hurt to get back up and take a couple of aspirin before I went back to sleep. So I did.

I woke up that morning and felt a lot better. The congestion in my chest was gone. Hmm, thought I...that could be good news AND bad news - a chest cold or the flu doesn't just go away over night. I started off on my hour commute to work, lighting up a cigarette as I pulled out of the driveway. About 7 minutes down the road the difficulty breathing returned and I put out my cigarette. I called work and said I'd be late because I was having trouble breathing and wanted to stop by Sacred Wallet Hospital to get checked out. By the time I hung up the cell phone, I knew I was in serious trouble.

I drove myself another 45 miles, through the milky fog of a fully occluded main ventricular artery, practicing Lamaze breathing all the way to stay conscious. I collapsed on the floor as I walked through the emergency room door. I'm the dead motherfucker that lived.

And that's my story. That's all it took for me to dump nicotine. Although effective, it is not the preferred method.

[Why Syzygy]

1. Thank you.

You probably did the right thing by taking the aspirin, second only to calling 911.
I hope you enjoy the rich irony of treating a heart attack with aspirin!

Today is my day.

I have six cigarettes and six pieces of nicotine gum, plus whatever I feel comfortable bumming from my roommate.
The latter won't be many.

The cost just went to $7.00 per pack. I can't afford to smoke!
I literally do not have another $7.00 to buy another pack.
My first cigarette purchase was .89 per pack.

The good news is, I have had a taste of what it feels like to be (almost) smoke free.
I moved to my current location mid January, and smoked outside for the first two-three weeks.
That meant I was smoking about 10 per day rather than 30. I started feeling good!
I had energy, and slept well every night. I thought it was because I changed my diet.
But, once I started smoking inside and consuming my *normal* number, the same old draggies
returned. It wasn't the food, it was the Oxygen!

Being dirt poor is not the greatest path to get there, either. Guess it takes what it takes.
Next month, I won't be nearly so cash strapped.

[yellerpup]

3. You WILL feel better once you quit.

Nicotine gum made my teeth rattle around in my mouth and I was allergic to the adhesive in the patches, so cold turkey worked fine for me. I reminded myself that smoking was an activity I used to do but now I don't smoke. When the cravings came on, I breathed through them and found something interesting to do or cleaned something. I know it isn't easy. I smoked a pack a day (sometimes more sometimes less) for forty years. I also stopped going out just for drinks because that always erased my inhibitions and raised my craving level. Good luck to you! You'll be so happy when the cravings are gone.

[yellerpup]

2. Congratulations and thanks for the great story.

I just finished 3 years of quitting cold turkey. I tried gum & patches, etc., and always ended up smoking again. I came very close to your situation, too. I thought I had a pinched sciatic nerve (so did the doctor) but as it turns out, I had a 90% occluded vein in my leg. When that was discovered three years ago, I could barely haul my ass 20 feet to the corner mailbox without having to stop because of the pain in my leg. Now, I regularly walk a mile a day on a very hilly route without having to stop. Feel much better all around. Glad you made it, WheelWalker.

[imdjh]

4. Well that takes all the fun out of my story.

I quit smoking on Sunday August 2, 2009.
I got the flu on Saturday August 1, 2009.

Naturally, like any good smoker when the cough showed up on Saturday I knew it was fatal. No need to even call a doctor. This was it, I had waited too long to quit. Then of course, it became quickly obvious as I took to my bed that squamous cell carcinoma doesn't strike at precisely 1 PM with flu like symptoms to follow in the next four hours. Cancer also doesn't tend to respond immediately to anti-biotics, aspirin, and cough medicines.

SO anyway, Sunday morning, I headed for the porch and only made it to the couch. "Maybe today is the day to quit." and "Nothing wrong with today, you feel like crap and you're going to spend all day in bed anyway." So I did. And now it's Thursday. I'm going ot bed in a few minutes and when I wake up it will be Friday.

I also quit coffee in the bargain.

[Alameda]

5. Great....I had my last on July the 4th...

got up and had difficulty breathing...thought to myself "what are you doing?". Tobacco is expensive, does not leave a nice smell around, it's not cool anymore (not that it ever was) and dumb...or rather we are being manipulated by some real shady creatures..."Freedom Torches"...my ass!.

I decided I want to live and not be their pawn! I do not want to die gasping for air like a fish out of water....I've been getting acupuncture treatment to clear my lungs, but I am repulsed by cigarettes now.

Good luck and keep it up....I found laying down flat on my back made things worse. Keeping your upper body elevated helps the mucus drain. I have eaten a lot of Ricola cough drops...they really helped. I was coughing so much (actually pushing it to get the crap out) I put my back out....so be careful.