two of my good eons' friends are going to quit smoking on July 4th - an appropriate day to "free" oneself of the habit. I am re-posting this blog for their benefit.

I quit smoking November 17, 1982 at 133pm; but I barely remember it...

I noticed there is a "Quit Smoking Group" here and thought my process might be of interest to the folks who are trying to break one of the hardest (if not hardest) addiction there is.

I smoke 2+ packs a day and when I began to light a cigarette before I even got out of bed in the morning; I knew I was in trouble.

On the day I stopped smoking, I didn't start the day with the plan to quit. I had a lunch date with a client and after we finished our meal, I thought about lighting up (this was long before smoking was banned in restaurants and other public places) and for some reason I decided to pass and wait till I was back in the car.

Again, when I got in the car, I decided to wait till I got back to the office. And when I got back to the office; I thought, "What the hell, it's time to stop."

I had heard about a "Stop Smoking" program (I think it was Schick) that had smokers make a list of all the reasons they wanted to quit smoking.

So that's what I did. I typed up a list and it came out to about thirty reasons: from the disgusting taste in my mouth to the smokey smell of my clothes to health reasons and even that it would make my parents happy.

I hung the list next to my desk above where I had kept my ashtray. I also made a copy that I put in my wallet. I called my husband and told him I had quit and about the list. He agreed to try it as well.

For the next several months, every time I thought about smoking, I read the list and by the time I got to the last reason the urge had passed.

It has now been 24 years, 9 months, 22 days. 3 hours and 50 minutes - but like I said; I can hardly remember...

It has now been 25 years, 13 days, 17 hours and 46 minutes...