…Smoking that is. It has been about a month now since my last smoke. Smoked for about 20 years. Weaned myself off of them without patches, medicine, doctors and so on. I feel better now.
Trouble is now my food tastes soooo muuuch better. Good thing small game season and all that walking starts next week. I can actually hit the hardest hiking trails now without a huff! I could hike them before but it is so much easier now. I am a happy boy!!! 
Congratulations!!!
Rick
Keep up the good work brother! Congratulations !
…Dan
Been there - Done that. Way to go.
Tim
Wow. I am impressed.
Tried to ween myself off - no good. Tried hypnosis it worked for a while but then my wife neve quit and I was too weak…
It’s funny how stron of a will can you get with a good scare. Got a mild Heart attack (so mils in fact I walked thrugh without knowig about it - just heartburn). Second one few moths later put me in MICU for 10 days. Got three stents… Waled out of the hospital and never touched the smokes again. Cravings went away after few weeks. My wife still somokes (only outside). It’s been three and a half years now…
Good luck and try to remeber this when the lil devil inside says “LIGHT UP!!!”.
Eric,
YOUR MY HERO!!!
Doug
Way to go Nighthawk…I’m right there with you, it’s been about a month and a half for me…and I can’t believe how much better I feel.
AND, I don’t have that “hack” in the mornings! 8)
Keep me pumped up and I’ll try to keep you pumped. (as will MANY others here, I’m sure!)
Good luck,
Carl
Eric,
Way to go! 8) My dad did the cold turkey thing nearly 40 years ago and has been smoke free ever since. He just turned 77 and is as health as can be. You did the right thing and look how quickly you are feeling the rewards of quiting.
What wonderful news, now can you come here and convince Bill he needs to quit, so that he can also be as healthy as he could be if he would quit…lol !!
Thats great to hear, and Keep up the good work.
MrsKneppPA,
If you would send us plane tickets, we will be happy to come over to your House and twist Bill’s arm until he gives up his pack of cigarettes. Many of my neighbors smoke (They can’t afford to) and I’ve found the best way to confront someone about their smoking habit is to do it in a loving way like, “STOP SMOKING!!!” Life is TOO SHORT as it is!!! Bill get some gum!!
Doug
I still smoke unfortunately, but working in smoke filled bars is part of the reason.
I never understood the over the counter stuff that floods your body with more Nicotine.
I did try a pill (perscrition only) that I can see working well. I admit, I started back up, but I had a lot going on at the time.
Anyway, the pill is called Chantex or chantax. It is a great way. It does something to your system that relaxes you so you really don’t want to get up an light up. But, it isn’t loading you with more of the chemical you are trying to get rid of.
Best part, you don’t gain weight (unless you have a problem before you start). You continue to smoke and take one pill a day for a week. Then it jumps to two pills for the following 3 weeks and I found I didn’t want a smoke.
Down side, it can make your stomach really upset, specially if you don’t eat something first. That might have been another reason I quit taking them but I an determined to try again and this time stick with it.
Amy and I were just on your side of the mountain today. Perhaps I should have her come over to visit and give him a graphic description of what it feels like to have someone stick a needle through your chest to biopsy a lesion. 
It hurts like HR$% and you can get a collapsed lung, even die from it. The torture of facing everyday thinking you might die young from lung cancer is almost unbearable.
Try making a deal with Bill. Tell him he can get that new piece of gear so long as he quits smoking and uses the money spent on tobacco to pay for the item. Perhaps you could convince him let you take the money he is spending on tobacco and save it. After he goes for two months without tobacco and has kicked the habit for good, he can have the money. If he uses any tobacco products in the agreed to amount of time the money is automatically yours to do with as you please. This will help him to establish goals that can be achieved and the rewards can be great! The big thing is to be positive and supportive. Buy lots of his favorite gum and when he gets the urge to light up give him some gum, hand him his fly rod and point him towards the stream. Ask him to help decorate the house for fall and find thinks to help him keep busy. To me keeping busy was the biggest help.
If he really wants to quit he will need our support as well. The folks here at FAOL are wonderful when it comes to pulling together for our fellow members. I can always pop over the mountain and say come on bud, we are going fishing.
Eric,
All right, Bro. I know what you mean about the food tasting soooo good. I’m over a year without smokes and VEE is starting her third week smoke free. Nice not to hack up your lungs in the morning and rattle when you lay down. You’ll feel better and better as time goes on. It’s so nice to breathe again.
REE
Joni,
You are in a tough situation there. Really is easier to quit when the people around either don’t smoke or you can get away from it. However, I know you can do it! Amy took that pill and it really helped her. Having lung lesions really put a scare into both of us. I have seen her go through many surgeries but I have never seen her in as much pain as that needle aspiration biopsy caused.
Getting back to the subject here, do it for you. It’s alright to be selfish here. Don’t quit until you are absolutely ready too. I am absolutely convinced that weaning yourself off of them is the way to go here. Do it at your own time, your own pace and do it for you. I know you will be successful. I am here for you as are all of us at FAOL. We want you around for your hubby and us, for many, many more years.
Ron,
Outstanding, Brother, for you and VEE. VEE, hang in there because you are over the hump on the cravings and you have got it licked. I am proud of both of you!
Those are all good suggestions Eric…I really thought we were home free after his little “oopsie” back in March…I should have just tossed the machine then too…darn thing is broke now anyways. That is a very good idea though…Give him a piggy bank and any money that was to go to smoking related materiels per week, he can have it…and w/ a thousand dollar donation to Trout Unlimited… (sarcasm may or may not be inserted here) he can have that new Sage Z axis 590?
Eric as far as keeping him busy, I have a honey do list…that would stretch from here to the NY border…we wont go there sir.
Eric,
Thanks very much for the Good News Post!!!
Doug
You are welcome!
Ron, Quite saddly…I know exactly what you mean by the Rattleing when ya lye down…I had quit for 5 months about 6 years ago…(Acording to my oldest bro)…We made a bet…He’s still smoke free…And I paid up…And since then…I got the rattling lungs…Never had it before I gave them up…And It gets harder to stop like I did then…stopped cold last time…It deffenitly gets harder each time…
Been smoking since I was 8 yrs old…Not proud of it…but it’s how it is…I know I gotta quit…I do know this…I REALLY can’t afford em…I am nolonger buying “Packs”…I do the tube and machine thing these day’s to cut the cost…but I think this is worse for ya than buying the factory stuff…
Were here for you Bill!
Doug