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Hi. Great parade! I smoked for 22 years before I quit this time. I always said I would quit if I ever got to 20 years. But my doctor told me several years ago that because I used to smoke a pack and a half a day, that I had already reached the equivalent of 20 years before I had even reached the 20 mark!!! So, I said the hell with it and kept on smoking. I loved smoking. I loved everything about it for a long long time. I liked the look of holding a cigarette with my nice long manicured nails. I loved sitting at a bar and having a guy light my cigarette for me. That is actually why I smoked my first cigarette - I wanted a guy to notice me when I was in college and I noticed that if a lady pulled out a cigarette, he would pull out a lighter or match and light it for her. How stupid. But at the time, I thought I was cool and I really thought smoking was cool up until last year. Prior to that, I made a couple of half-hearted attempts due to peer pressure but I did not want to quit. Last March 2001, I saw a commercial on tv that really scared me. It was the husband telling about the 46 year old woman who died from cancer because of smoking. His remark was: "I didn't know that 23 was middle age" - meaning her middle age came at the age of 23 since she died at 46. Well, I was 43 and that was too close for me. I found Freedom and April 1, 2001 was my quit day. I actually threw out a whole carton of cigarettes because a friend mentioned that if I gave them away to someone who still smokes it was the same as offering poison to this person. I started an excercise program right away. I maintained my weight. But, the withdrawal was terrible. I was a wreck. I would go 4 or five days, take a cigarette, get sick, go for another few weeks, smoke, in a constant state of withdrawal. I finally found Freedom in June and I went 6 weeks. Then I lost my temper at work and people complained about me (no one has ever complained about me before as I consider myself a model employee) and I bummed a cigarette and that was that. I have been quitting off and on every other week since last July. I have been in continuous withdrawal. I have been trying to tell myself that I enjoy smoking - but something happened. I stopped loving it! I could not believe it. I hated the smell, the addiction, etc. but I still thought it was cool to smoke. In February of 2002, after quit number 20 or so, I started getting sore throats and nausea whenever I took even one puff. I had also become fairly successful at being a social smoker. Or, so I thought. Finally, almost a year from when I first started to quit - I am back at Freedom and I am so happy to be here. I no longer want to smoke. I no longer think it is cool. I get nauseous whenever I am near the entrance to my work building and I am near the smokers. I can't believe I used to go out in sub-zero temperatures on my breaks to have a cigarette. I stunk up my upstairs spare bedroom again. My car stank again. My breath stank and the pain was horrible. I firmly believe that I became allergic to cigarettes!!! Thank you God. The memory of the painful throat at the end keeps me from taking another puff. And in all probability, I would not have stayed a social smoker. I am an addict. I now know that I have hopefully saved my life and certainly lengthened it my quitting. I am happy, relaxed most of the time and did not go through the horrible withdrawal that I did last year. I believe I was finally ready and that God is removing my compulsion to smoke. I plan to join Nicotine Anonymous as I very much believe in 12 step programs - as I am a member or Al-Anon. I am free from tobacco finally and I feel very thankful and blessed. Everyone is right, I'll be fine as long as I never take another puff.

Dawnie 2 weeks, 4 days