Smoking - how did you quit?

[Wounded Bear]

11. Tonsilitis...

No shit, that's what triggered my last-successful-quitting strategy. I generally don't recommend nicotine replacement strategies; IMHO it's like having an alcoholic take one drink a day. I suppose it works for some, and god bless if it does, but it didn't work for me.

Back to my story. I'd tried to quit twice, and did OK for a couple of weeks. This was back in the Carter administration, so there was no patch, nor any drugs or gum. People were pretty much on their own. The first time I failed I thought that well, hey, I could smoke a pipe. That's something that isn't as 'convenient' as cigarettes, so I'll be constrained by that. Nope. Back on the cigs in less than a month of that. The second time, it was cigars. Nobody can smoke that many cigars, right? Guess again. I was up to the 'many' level on cigars and decided if I was going to smoke, that might be the worst delivery mechanism, as they were already posting studies on the dangers of tobacco in the mouth through cigars, dips, and chews.

So the successful try came on Thanksgiving weekend in the late 70's, I forget the exact year. I contracted tonsilitis, something that I'd struggled with all my life. I was always getting sore throats and had several bouts with the Big T since I was a kid. Was feeling somewhat better by Sunday. Got up to go back to work on Monday, looked down at that pack of cigs on the nightstand, thought about if for about three seconds and dropped them in the waste basket.

I haven't looked back. I've had scattered cravings, and I think I might have taken like one puff from someone's cig along the way somewhere, but I've never regretted quitting, TBS.

Best of luck to anyone trying to drop that evil habit.