My grandmother and grandfather smoked for over 40 years. Then my grandmother got laryngitis. She was unable to speak for about 3 months. She carried around one of those Magic Slates (anybody remember those?) and that was the only way she could communicate. The doctor told her that if she wanted to be able to speak again, the smokes had to go. She quit cold turkey and my grandfather did it alongside with her.

I'm not a smoker....never have even tried the stuff...but I think that on some level, YOU have to be ready. The only thing I can compare it to is this. I am overweight..have been for most of my life. I finally came to a point where I just could NOT stand myself anymore. I knew tons of nutritional information, could write a book about how various foods interact, how important exercise is, how to change your habits, how bad being overweight is for you.....yadda, yadda, yadda.....didn't mean squat until *I* was tired of feeling the way I did...then I was able to start and continue with success.

My mother is currently trying to quit smoking..she has been smoke free for about 6 weeks now. It's not been easy for her and honestly, it's been kinda weird to me too. I am so used to meeting her to do something and having to wait while she takes a smoke break. I notice it the most when we go out to eat. The time where we would sit and visit (or stand outside and chat), is when she would smoke. We still talk, but the routine is changed...and frankly, it's weird for me too. It took us a while to get over the akwardness of that missing link in our normal activities. Or when we go shopping (a 60 mile drive away)...first thing that used to happen is I would stretch and she would smoke! I never really thought about how much her smoking affected her/me until now. I mean, I know that there is a HUGE social end to smoking...just go outside any day during the work week and hang out with the folks having a smoke on their break......yep...lots of social interactions to make adjustments to as well as the actual smoking.

I don't have any suggestions as to how to stop smoking as I am not a smoker.....I am cheering you on from the sidelines KNOWING that you WILL make that change when YOU are ready!!! :)

Michelle