First of all, this is a great community and you have found a goldmine of support and info for not smoking. Smoking is so insidious as this addiction goes so deep into your body, personal identity, and emotions. You think of yourself as a smoker and you begin to act like one. I could not leave the house without checking my supply. I made myself late to work because I had to get smokes! I looked for secret and safe places where I could smoke without the judgment of others, like my car. Even though I was in my 60's I was ashamed of how immature I looked while smoking like a teenager and who knows better.
What helped me quit was setting a quit date a month out. As I worked toward that date, I cut back on the number of cigarettes I was smoking a day. I also started a prescription for Zyban and this helps!!! I could see a change in my desire for cigarettes and I did not want to eat to compensate. I felt good. Using this site, I wrote about my triggers and prepared plan B to cope with them. It comes down to asking for help and talking about what is troubling you. For me, I smoked to numb my emotions -- I didn't want to feel them and I didn't want to talk about them.
Quitting has given me back my health, dignity, emotional growth, freedom to be close to people, and finances as well. Please don't think if I will quit smoking, begin planning when I will quit smoking.
