Re[2]: [at-l] Quit-smoking hike in Georgia

[bullard@northnet.org (James Bullard)]

At 10:20 AM 8/5/01 -0400, Bob Cummings wrote:
>I suspect a hike will help. But it may take more than that. I quit after a 
>friend was diagnosed with throat cancer and kept right on smoking. I 
>decided to find out if was possible to quit. It was, but for three years I 
>had periodic compulsions to light up. Then they disappeared, almost overnight.

I smoked from age 16 to 21.  Started on cigarettes and was smoking cigars 
when I quit.  About a month after quitting I was walking by the tobacco 
section in the PX (my commune phase) and the aroma of the rum crook cigars 
was too much.  I bought a 5 pack, smoked one and threw the other 4 away.  I 
kept getting that urge for many years though anytime I was exposed to the 
scent of tobacco (not smoke though).  I've never regretted quitting.  I had 
an employee only who fought for 'her RIGHT to smoke on the job' when NYS 
was banning smoking from public places.  She finally quit when her lungs 
got so bad she was dragging an oxygen tank around.  She died about a year 
later at around age 60.  My daughter is in the process of quitting because 
she has a heart problem that isn't bad in itself but could kill her if she 
doesn't quit.

The message:  This isn't uncommon folks.  Smoking does bad stuff to 
ya.  David, and any other smokers listening, it just isn't worth what it 
does to you.  I know quitting's tough but we're a tough bunch, right?

sAunTerer