I should be the last person in the world to smoke. Two years ago I had a lobe on the right side of my lung removed (a lobectomy). There were also nodes of emphasema (sp?)that were removed with the tumor. My mother died of lung cancer. I was lucky that they found the spot on a CT scan (by accident). I started back smoking when my mother-in-law died suddenly, and then found out that my own mother was dying. I was diagnosed at the age of 47 which the doctors said was very fortunate since most people don't find out until much later. I just turned 50. I want to stop smoking but I am so addicted. I don't want to go through lung surgery again or die anytime soon. If anyone out there has any suggestions for me they would be greatly appreciated. The thing is, I love smoking (started at 16). I hate myself everytime I light up. Thank you for listening, CK

CK- I feel really bad for you b/c the cigarette companies have you addicted and your right...you are so addicted. I am on my 7th day of non-smoking after smoking for 30 years (on & off). I am a 45 year old female. The only technique that worked for me was hypnosis. I am also on the Finalsmoke program. I just think about all the poisons I was putting in my body. Also, amazingly enough, I have no cravings, while in the past, I always gave into the cravings. I guess, the only suggestion I have for you is you made a good start my posting, b/c somewhere in your addicted brain, you want to quit. That is a start. You have to want to quit. I was hating myself also every time I lit up, now I look at a glass jar with the cig. butts in water and totally gross out...this is nothing in comparison to what is going on in our lungs! In other countries, they actually display awful images on the back of cigarette packs. Brazil has a great one with the image of a dead rat and cockroaches. You are smoking insectiside, not to mention the many other dangerous toxins that cigarette conpanies put in the cigarettes to make us addicted. Just remember what you are doing when you light up, make it disgusting and maybe then your subconscious will help you want to quit. Good luck to you!

Dear CK: First of all, you are not a bad person just because you smoke. You got suckered into as a young person just like the rest of us. I would first of all suggest that you never quit trying to quit! I started at age 12 and did not quit until age 56. I have been smoke-free for about a year and a half now. Amazingly, I quit cold turkey. But, I would not recommend it. Have you tried any smoking aids (gum, patches, pills, hypnosis, etc.)? If not, that may be the way to go initially. Do not worry about loving smoking. Guess what? I could start again tomorrow, if only I did not know how hard it was to quit! Yes, I will always be a smoker at heart, unfortunately. I am assuming that you had lung cancer if you had a lobectomy. Am I correct? You may want to visit our online lung cancer support group. Our website address is: www.lungcancersurvivors.org. We are free and will offer you lots of love, compassion, encouragement, and valuable informatioin. We would love to have you. Best wishes, SabineTawni

Hey CK, I didn't always know that nicotine was just a chemical with an IQ of zero. I'd never once stopped to think that although I'd chewed the gum twice, did the hypnotist twice and resorted to the patch twice that none of those attempts taught me a darn thing. What I hadn't stopped to contemplate was that I'd never once taken the time to read the instructions that came with my addiction. CK, I write to encourage you to do just that. This link is to a free 149 page PDF book by Joel Spitzer of Chicago. http://whyquit.com/joel/ntap.pdf This amazing giver has spent the past three decades working full-time down in the trenches helping us nicotine addicts break free. I've yet to encounter anyone who has taught more cessation clinics and seminars than Joel. Thousands consider him the Henry Aaron/Baby Ruth of smoking cessation and as my mentor these past six years I can assure you that he knows more about quitting in his little finger than I could ever hope to know. I encourage you to read his free book one time cover to cover, CK. It's an amazing collection of roughly 100 quitting articles on almost every topic imaginable. If you have any trouble opening the above link you can read it online at: http://whyquit.com/joel/ Knowledge is power, CK. Join us and turn on the lights! With you in spirit. John R. Polito Nicotine Cessation Educator john@whyquit.com

CK, you would be wise to take this man's advice. He's incredibly smart and resourceful. I found Why Quit about 5 days into my quit. I'm pretty sure I would have been successful anyway, but this site made it a heck of a lot easier. Take care, and JUST DO IT. You've got nothing to lose and so much to gain. Blessings, Amy 10 months of nicotine freedom

CK - first, please don't hate yourself. It's not your fault that you are addicted. It's Big Tobacco's fault, for they have known that nicotine is the most powerfully addictive substance ever known to mankind and yet they include it in all their products to keep people like you and me and everyone else who is still smoking addicted. I first started smoking at the age of 10. I am now disabled with severe emphysema and am on oxygen 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I finally managed to quit smoking on January 11, 2002. I did it "Cold Turkey". CK - you can do it to. Believe me, if I could manage to quit smoking after smoking between 3 & 4 packs and sometimes even 5 packs a day, you can to. Set a date that you want to quit. Mark it on your calendar. Try to cut back each day until your quit date. On the evening before your quit date. Take all of your cigarettes, crumple them up into tiny pieces, take all your ash trays and lighters and put them all in a garbage bag and throw them away. When you get up the next morning, the first day of your quit cycle, change your routine/habits. Drinks lots of water. Go for walks. Read, do anything, but think about smoking. When you feel that urge to light up, wait for between 5 and 10 minutes and the urges will start to diminish over a period of 2 - 3 weeks. Once you have gone through what we call the Physical Withdrawal Symptom stage, just remember that you will be psychologically addicted for the rest of your life. If I can be of any further help, please E-mail me at avoidcourt@aol.com. Good Luck Don Soderstrom

Cigarette smoking needs a distraction..the addictive scenario needs to be broken..the mind needs to find a New place to be happy.. I have found that Home Cooking w/the favorite recipes you can find work best.. Making a change in your kitchen.. Finding new ways to do things.. ...Looking for your own perfect...Make-over... When I quit smoking it was all about "shear" terror...I found a "wound" on the inside of my lower lip...this was where nicotine had been strikeing my skin as I inhaled...since I had created a near Obsessive Compulsive Dis-order in my life this was the end-point that woke me up...prior to that I was having some skin problems on my face from a type of paranoid delusion..which my Dad solved by having me switch to a DOVE Brand soap..when your juggleing the "supposed" fun in your life you can be very-very-wrong... Therapy will often admit that the first part of recovery is to admit--ADMIT--"admit"...get the Ball-rolling and "cool" the Snowball Effect that is tearing you down... So....with-out getting into a Medical Diagnosis....which I will say is never fair...I needed to get the cigarettes "OUT of the House"... And repair the actual physical damage of being an "In-House" smoker...that meant a complete Paint Job on my apartment...I even "chucked" the furniture...and started w/the kitchen...it was a 360-degree work in progess...the only really serious problems encountered were the Diet Issues that were a result of me just sitting in a chair daily---for some 6-years...I was a 135-pounder most of my young adult life...when I became interested in body-building I could only get my weight up to 145-pounds...actually sitting in a chair...for some 6-years had be topping out at 250-pounds...it was muscle...I needed to help a person on the street one day and push his old Jeep Commando to a Gas Station/and even up a slight grade onto the Gas Station Platform...I had probraby smoked at least 3-cigarettes prior to such an ordeal... But it got serious later where I could not bend over to tie my shoes...I would have a "Dizzy" spell..then I began to fall down..falling down was a result of the over-weight...I was actually Top-Heavy...and did take some terrible spills in the kitchen on mornings...once my watch was destroyed as my wrist smashed onto the floor...another time I was "stunned" in some way...I was...frozen when I hit the ground...my head hit the floor and my body was just frozen...I could not move for about 20-seconds...THIS PAGE is Filled.<<

START<<this Page>> It all came down to the cigatettes and sitting... At 250-pounds my Cholestral was also 250(combined)... I could only do about 15-minutes of walking excersise in the beginning...today I'm virtually a Gene Kelly at 4-miles...carrying weights in my Back-Pack... ...In my personal journey useing ITEMS(addictive)Oral-pacifiers of some type...even too much coffee...I have found that the body is just "polluted" at some point... Too re-invigorate...the body is not very difficult...only that you doo not want to "Flush" away the good stuff... That's about it in a easy defining moment... It takes some NoteBooks and a few Gadgets to monitor the situation... And about 3-years to be 100%...and then it just never stops...you stick to your guns and regimen... You may not live longer than a smoker... But you will feel better in the process... Good Luck..Do-it ........................................................