On this day in 1992 ...
 

I had my last cigarette. I used to burn up to 3 packs of Camel Filters per day.

It was tough to quit but so worth it.

Any other former cigarette smokers? How long has it been?

I smoked two packs of Camel straights a day for 20+ years. My wife became pregnant; interestingly, in the winter of 92. She told me "I don't want smoke around my baby before or after it's born, quit now or I'm leaving." I quit. I still enjoy a dip or a cigar now and again, but no more half-hourly cigs.
Sad to say, that baby is now a boy of almost 20 and he is an occasional smoker. He thinks I don't know. It's a serious black mark on his otherwise excellent good judgement record.

I didn't smoke nearly that long or nearly that much, but I gave it up just about this time of year in 1971. I gave up the pretty significant amount of Jim Beam that I was pouring down my gullet at the same time. The only better decision that I've ever made in my life was deciding to marry my lovely bride a little over 39 years ago.

I must admit that when I see someone smoking today, after all the evidence in front of us regarding the ill effects of it, I see such a person as a little less intelligent than they would appear otherwise.

I went to a doctor that I had never seen before for my flight physical a few months ago. We visited a little before he took my blood pressure and then listened to my heart. Right after he put his stethoscope on the first spot he looked up all of a sudden and said "you're a healthy fellow aren't you?" I said well, I've lived a clean and active life since I got out of the Army. He then said "well, it's really paying off for you now." It was reassuring to hear.

I quit 8 years ago, if I wasn't drinking it would be two packs a week, but when alcohol was involved ashtrays would fill up really fast. Still after 8 years I find it hard not to bump a smoke when I'm drinking with friends who smoke.

Quitting is all about changing habits, when I quit I started exercising like a mofo; swimming 4 to 5 times a week, running, hiking. I didn't tell anyone so there wouldn't be any pressure if I failed and didn't drink or go out for six months.

The best thing about not smoking was how much it improved sex. :D

Congrats link, that's something to be damn proud of! To the others as well, takes balls to confront those sorts of things - kudos.

Yes, exercise was a huge part of it for me. I quit 45 days before getting out of the Army. During that time all I did was charge of quarters every other night. That meant I was off during the day every day. My girlfriend ran the local municipal swimming pool. I went there every day and spent much of the day.

The first day I got in the Olympic size pool and swam to the other end. I thought it would take a tow truck to get me out. The next day it was a little easier and after about 30 days I could swim laps until I was just sick and tired of swimming. I blew all that crap out of my lungs and worked the alcohol out of my system.

I had been drinking enough that if I even looked at a candy bar or other sweets it would sometimes make me sick. I started having sweets sometimes after all that.

The fact that I was excited about getting out of the Army and starting a new chapter of my life made it mentally easier to do I think.

I would highly recommend exercise as part of the effort to quit smoking or drinking.

I was only 22 when I went through all that. This means I had very few years of the habits to break, and since I was young it made the exercise easier. I fully realize that had to be much easier for me than it was for people who were older with a longer history of the habit.

I would encourage anyone of any age to give up these habits. It's tough work, but the result is a really Improved quality of life. Very best of luck to anyone who tries and congrats to those who have accomplished it.

I quit smoking in the summer of 1991 doing my aircraft mechanics exams in the air force. I figured if I could stop at a stressful time I had no excuse to start again...

July 1991for me. Went to a gastroenterologist for "stomach burning.":rolleyes:
He told me to quit smoking and drinking caffiene. Worst night & couple of days in my life till that point. Headaches like you wouldn't belive. After a couple of rounds of medication trial & error, he suggested I should have a stress test.
Had the stress test at 8:00 am August 30, 1991 in my cardiologist's office, my first day as his patient.:). I was admitted to Delaware Medical Center at 7:00 pm that night. (Friday of Labor Day weekend). I had quintuple bypass surgery @ 9:00 in the morning Sept. 3, 1991. :(

Mom & Dad both were lifelong Camel non filtered smokers. Dad died with severe emphysema, a couple of years after he quit smoking in 1992. Mom switched to Carleton for the last few years of her life. She died of lung cancer in 1998.

My ex-wife told me after my operation that if I could have seen how bad I looked after the surgery, I'd never smoke again.

I tell my family if they could have seen mom in the hospital her last night, they would never smoke either.:(:(

I don't smoke and never have, but I do consume a cigar now and then if I have to.

At one point in my life I had to attend some pretty swanky affairs in case someone needed a technical question answered. It was considered an insult to the host if you refused what they offered.

So I quickly informed them I only smoked Cuban cigars and that normally shut them down. Then they started getting their hands on some, so I would smoke them if they had them. I must admit the ones I smoked were not all that bad, but it was not something I chose to spend any money on.

Which I guess makes me a Moocher, but then I have been called worse.

I never got hooked so I never had any trouble quitting.

I think that maybe your being preoccupied with your test preparation might have helped with the process.

Congrats on quitting though, regardless of what might have been involved.

Tough times.

All in all I think it is best not to be smoking anymore. When I first came to Holland about ten years ago smoking was rife. Everyone smoked - you could still smoke in the trains and restaurants. It was pretty grim. It was a bit like the 1980s. New EU laws came in and it is much nicer in a way but you can smell more piss and sweat than you used to!

I was probably the grumpiest bugger who ever took those exams!

Bad habits at 22 aren't really habits. They're indulgences. I hereby decree that a habit must be at least 10 years in duration.

I smoked pot on a daily basis for 20 years -- mostly home-grown, since I'm too cheap to buy the good stuff. I scaled way back about 20 years ago when my garden plot became unavailable. I also smoked cigs on and off, up to a pack a day, until 1997. In the last decade of that habit I found that the more potent cigarette I smoked, the fewer I wanted. For a lot of people, smoking is an oral fixation. A co-worker of mine smoked "low tar" Carletons heavily and died of lung cancer in 2004.

As a good Wisconsinite, I also like a drink. I'm sipping a Bogle Zinfandel at the moment. I try to aim for two drinks a day or their equivalent, although I can be bad fairly regularly.

A recent blood pressure test had me in the upper 120s over about 85. I can live with that at 60. I'm active, but I know I'm a lot closer to the end of life than the beginning. And that's .. OK. Sorta.

Einstein put it well: "The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat."

I'm glad to hear this. I spent a LOT of my time in Europe in the early 2000's and people smoked everywhere. It was like the US in the fifties and sixties. I don't like the idea of those kind of laws, but I expect that it makes it much more pleasant to be in public.

Well you know how selfish people can get. When I first moved here people would be upset if I said they couldn't smoke in my house or my car! Times have changed.