Hi and welcome to my story so far, I stopped smoking on the 27/10/2008 at 11pm that was 328 days ago, the date today is 19th of September, 2008

I will try to keep my posts related only to the quit; the humour will have to be restricted to my website. Now as it happens the first thing I read about in was caring for our recovery, it is very easy to become complacent over time and forget why I or we quit in the first place, and the danger of that is the resolve and determination we first had can be weakened through us forgetting these important factors.
I had smoked from the age of 14 my age now 60 and when I quit I was smoking and this is a very conservative estimate 30 a day my lungs although nothing diagnosed werent working 100%, going up the stairs I would be more breathless than I should have been, and walking my legs would ache after a short distance really because of circulation again caused by smoking, well the good news I feel so much better on all fronts obviously some of the damage I have inflicted upon my body can never be repaired but I will be happy to settle for a better quality of life and to be free of a terrible addiction.
Over the last 328 days I have realized that I didnt give up smoking I stopped smoking what I was actually giving up is a habit that was making me ill and would have a dam good try at killing me, something that was making me smell horrible my clothes, my home, my car, were all stinking with cigarette ash and the smell yuk, I was giving up the need to leave the company I was in to go outside after making a pathetic excuse to feed my habit as I would have to while watching a movie or having a meal, so they are some of the things I have given up and boy am I glad I stopped smoking.
My method for stopping smoking was using champix and I found it a wonderful help I finished taking it on day 103. I also found by using a quit group a vital part of my quit it provided the education I needed about addiction and support and encouragement that helped so much I believe the two together made my quit successful also the Allen Carr book easy way to stop smoking.

Also I read a post on the quit group that had a big impact on me read below

How do you feel about a friend who has to go everywhere with you? Not only does he tag along all the time, but since he is so offensive and vulgar, you become unwelcome when with him. He has a peculiar odour that sticks to you wherever you go. Others think both of you stink.

He controls you totally. When he says jump, you jump. Sometimes in the middle of a blizzard or storm, he wants you to come to the store and pick him up. You would give your spouse hell if he or she did that to you all the time, but you can't argue with your friend. Sometimes, when you are out at a movie or play he says he wants you to go stand in the lobby with him and miss important scenes. Since he calls all the shots in your life, you go. Your friend doesn't like your choice of clothing either. Instead of politely telling you that you have lousy taste, he burns little holes in these items so you will want to throw them out. Sometimes, he tires of the furniture and gets rid of it too. Occasionally, he gets really nasty and decides the whole house must go.

He gets pretty expensive to support. Not only is his knack of property destruction costly, but you must pay to keep him with you. In fact, he will cost you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. And you can count on one thing; he will never pay you a penny in return.

Often at picnics you watch others playing vigorous activities and having lots of fun doing them. But your friend won't let you. He doesn't believe in physical activity. In his opinion, you are too old to have that kind of fun. So he kind of sits on your chest and makes it difficult for you to breathe. Now you don't want to go off and play with other people when you can't breathe, do you?

Your friend does not believe in being healthy. He is really repulsed by the thought of you living a long and productive life. So every chance he gets he makes you sick. He helps you catch colds and flu. Not just by running out in the middle of the lousy weather to pick him up at the store. He is more creative than that. He carries thousands of poisons with him which he constantly blows in your face. When you inhale some of them, they wipe out cilia in your lungs which would have helped you prevent these diseases.

But colds and flu are just his form of child's play. He especially likes diseases that slowly cripple you, like emphysema. He considers this disease great. Once he gets you to have this, you will give up all your other friends, family, career goals, activities, everything. You will just sit home and caress him, telling him what a great friend he is while you desperately gasp for air.

But eventually your friend tires of you. He decides he no longer wishes to have your company. Instead of letting you go your separate ways, he decides to kill you. He has a wonderful arsenal of weapons behind him. In fact, he has been plotting your death since the day you met him. He picked all the top killers in society and did everything in his power to ensure you would get one of them. He overworked your heart and lungs. He clogged up the arteries to your heart, brain, and every other part of your body. In case you were too strong to succumb to this, he constantly exposed you to cancer causing agents. He knew he would get you sooner or later.

Well, this is the story of your "friend," your cigarette. No real friend would do all this to you. Cigarettes are the worst possible enemies you ever had. They are expensive, addictive, socially unacceptable, and deadly. Consider all this and NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!

I feel after doing this the resolve I felt on day 1 of stopping smoking has returned and I know its important to keep reminding myself why I stopped smoking.