I know there are few people out here that have quit..and quit for good. I have quit at least 6 maybe 7 times over the years. Anyway, I turned 42 on the 5th. And my mother has a fatal illness, pulmonary fibrosis. She was a long time smoker. Watching her be on oxygen 24/7 and gasping for air just taking a few steps is heartbreaking. But more heartbreaking is the addiciton that still haunts me. Anyway, I'm taking wellbutrin and have cut down but have not quit. I have all the tools..gum etc but I'm just not finding the will/conviction to really quit.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this...other than to just put it out there. Maybe some of you have some good words of advice. What worked for you? I have people telling me that "NOW" is not the time to quit. Lots of stress with my mom etc. But is there really a good time to quit?

Who knows...I'm just putting this out here to see what others have done.
And maybe get the help I need to get me motivated.

There's a forum called Quitnet.com that you might find helpful. It provides pretty good group support. I'm a member there, although I post only rarely.

I was a 3-pack-a-day smoker for 48 years. I paid $50 to a hokey itinerant hypnotist who comes through town every 6 months or so and sets up his show in a room at a local hotel. A friend of mine dragged me there, kicking and screaming. (I was the one kicking and screaming, not my friend! ) I went in convinced that it was a scam and sure to fail. I had been to a hypnotist years before, but didn't even make it out of the building before I lit up a cig.

Much to my amazement, that group session worked. I went home a non-smoker, and haven't smoked since. I've only had a very few times when I wanted a cigarette, and the cravings were very short-lived and mild.

I wish you the very best of success! Life as a non-smoker is wonderful, and I highly recommend it!

Kisal - Hey, thanks for responding. Funny...I actually attending one of these things but it was years, like maybe almost 20 years ago. Do you remember the guys name? I'm sure he must hit Seattle as well.

Congratulations to you! That is a very awesome accomplishment, as you must know!

I couldn't remember the name of the outfit, so had to go find my CD. The company name is Gorayeb Seminars, Inc., located in NJ. I have no recollection at all of the name of the actual person who conducted the meeting I attended. I imagine they have different people who conduct the actual seminars, perhaps on a regional basis, but that's just speculation on my part. I really have no knowledge of how the company is set up.

One of my doctors told me that the reason it worked so well was that I went in completely relaxed, expecting failure. I laughed at the guy the whole time, and made a joke out of everything he said. (All just thoughts in my head, of course, so as not to disturb anyone else in the group.)

I'm really glad it worked, though. I had already tried and failed with the patches, the nasal sprays, the prescription meds, etc., including having spent almost $5,000 to some outfit in Portland, OR, for individual counseling and support. That program was set up like a 12-step ... kinda like AA, I imagine, although I only know of 12-step programs from what I've read about them. Anyway, it didn't work for me. The only thing I hadn't yet tried was the nicotine gum, and I was scared to death to try it, for fear it wouldn't work, either.

I will say that the hypnotist surprised me. He was totally honest about the process. I always thought you'd be able to feel yourself relaxing and becoming hypnotized, but the first thing the guy said was that we wouldn't feel any different than we did when we first walked into the room. That may have helped, too, because I wasn't constantly distracted with mentally examining myself, trying to determine if I was becoming hypnotized.

Kisal - Thank you so much. You remind me a lot of myself. Maybe this will work. Again, very happy for you. I hope to follow in your footsteps someday. Amber