@William,
hi william-
i often thought of you and wondered if you had decided not to try and quit but i didnt ask directly not wanting to embarrass you. congratulations on your extended effort!
i started smoking at the age of 14 and was also a two to three pack chain smoker. i quit three different times in my life, or maybe i should count it as four, and i hope i am done. but i can remember for how many years i wanted to quit but just the thought of trying made me smoke even more. i had to quit cold turkey, there was no other way for me, but that is my personality. the second day is the hardest, but the third gets easier and every day thereafter is easier. i think it probably makes it harder to quit the more years you have been smoking, but the method that works for one person may not work for another-there are other factors involved too, such as individual behavior habits, and i feel it is necessary to find what is most comfortable for you.
one thing i sincerely believe is that those companies add something to the tobacco that is highly addictive. i began smoking those little cigarillo things called bidis in india, and when i decided to quit i had no trouble at all. also the bidis are not wrapped in paper like cigarets, they are wrapped in some kind of leaf-forgot the name of it. and they are cheap... now i take them with me when i go to visit my son because he smokes a lot and it makes me recall the old addiction. but after six weeks of smoking i can return to india and stop again without any withdrawal symptoms at all.
so congratulations and good luck william, i hope you are able to completely stop for a month and be able to evaluate how you feel. as much as i love bidis, i still realize they make me cough, slow me down in walking and give me heartburn, and lots of reasons why not to smoke. i'll be thinking of you, let me know how it's going!
