I quit smoking in 2002 after reading Alan Carr's book and joining quitnet.com's support site. I did the "weaning" method, cutting back on my "trigger" times one by one (such as no longer smoking just before going to sleep, or smoking when I was on the phone, or smoking while I was driving, or smoking during breaks at work, or smoking after meals, etc.) until I was only smoking one cigarette a day first thing in the morning. I kept up that one-cig-a-day thing for months before I finally finished Carr's book and set a solid quit date (Thanksgiving weekend), and when that day came, I didn't have my morning cigarette. I think it's the hardest thing I've ever done, but I don't miss smoking like I feared I would.
My husband quit in 2000, so my smoking became something I didn't want to do around him. I started smoking outside, making myself as uncomfortable as I possibly could, and that helped me to want to quit. Doing it gradually the way I did helped me deal with the withdrawal in small doses, so it didn't hit me hard all at once (the main cause of my previous quit attempt failures), and I had to learn a new coping method, as smoking was the one thing I had always turned to in emotional-upset times. Now, instead of going off to smoke and sooth myself, I call my sister or a friend and talk it out, and I think I'm much more mentally healthy, too, as a result.
But if you're trying to quit, my hat is off to you. It's a tough challenge, and you're very brave to face it
