365 Days later
7300 Cigarettes later
$1825.00 later
20lbs…alright 25lbs later

Wednesday May 13,2009. I was getting over what I thought was a cold but I couldn’t seem to kick a nagging cough and my voice thought it wanted to be Harvey Fierstein. So, I decided to go see my Doctor. Once he established I was a smoker he really put the fear of God in me. He gave me a lecture about what I was burning in my throat and lungs, diagnosed me with Asthmatic Bronchitis, gave me a stack of prescriptions and sent me on my way.

That night, as I was using an inhaler for the first time I made a decision, one more day of smoking and then as of midnight on the 14th I would smoke my last cigarette…once again.

I had been a smoker since I turned 16 in the fall of 1973. I had tried unsuccessfully a few times including quite recently but, I just loved to smoke. I felt ostracized by my close friends, none of whom smoked and kept watching the price of a pack of cigarettes go up and up. But I kept on smoking.

So, what finally worked for me? Let me tell you the Scott Miller method of how I quit smoking and changed my life.

I first started with the nicotine patch. I used it for the first 2 weeks but then came Memorial Day weekend. I thought let me see if I can make it through the weekend without a patch and I did! Then Tuesday came, as did work. Work is a horse of a different color, it comes with stress! Patch back on. This bothered me because with the patch I was still feeding my nicotine addiction and the sooner I got the nicotine out of my system the faster I would be monkey free. From then on it was gone.

The patch wasn’t the only tool I had in my box. I would just like to say two words “Tootsie Pops.” They helped me with the oral and physical aspect of my withdrawal. Besides I figured I can replace my teeth but not my lungs. They were great for driving and watching TV because they gave me something to do with my hands and something in my mouth. I went through about 2 bags of them. That crutch is also gone.

The last item is also the best motivator you can use. I decided from the day I started I would put away 5 dollars for every day I quit. I was smoking a pack a day and I wanted to see how much of my own money was literally going up in smoke for a year. I also decided that if I went back to smoking, I would have to donate any of the money I had saved to an organization I dislike. (This, in itself, was a mind game for me.) My organization was the Republican National Committee(it would have made my dad happy though). But now that I reached my one year mark, I will admit that I probably would have given it to Stray Cat Blues.

So, here I am 365 days smoke free, 7300 cigarettes still at the store, about 25 lbs heavier (the only downfall) ,no longer stinking of cigarette smoke…did I really smell that bad? And $1825.00 richer.

And the best part of my tale is that 5 weeks from today, I will be leaving along with 5 great friends on my dream vacation to Disneyworld, all paid for with money that would have gone up in smoke had I not made the right decision and quit smoking.

I know this was more of a book then a blog but I wanted to let you know my story in hopes that maybe it will inspire or help others to quit a habit which is one of the hardest things to do. If you have a friend that is trying to quit be there for them. As I told people it was like saying goodbye to your best friend that was always there for you no matter what. But, as it turns out they really are your worst enemy, but you know that already.

As always comments are welcomed and remember to stop, look around and for today take a deep breath and enjoy your view.