Nicwit, I think what you are doing is terribly important. The act of giving up smoking sends a message to the dope-dealing tobacco companies that you are not going to support them.

What you are doing is extremely difficult and I applaud you for your courage.

I have never been a smoker so I'm not qualified to make any really constructive suggestions.

How about these idea, though. Get a physical trainer who can monitor your development and start a program through a health club. Go easy at first (that's why I suggest a trainer).

Watch your diet as well as this can lead you back to ciggies. Eat the most nutritious food you can find. There is a psycological dependency that has to be addressed and eating figures into it. Please don't substitute one addiction for another.

Stay away from friends that smoke. This is the hardest thing to do.
They may not be in a position to honor your decision because they are addicted. Very few smokers I have known in my life are capable of really recognizing the foul air they create which remains on their body after they've smoked. If you can smell it, it's hurting you.
You'll have to find a new circle of folks to hang out with who are not caught in the addictive behavior. There may be some smokers who can consider the needs of non-smokers but they are damned few. If they do it, they think everyone should be able to put up with it.
They can't help themselves because whether anyone likes to hear it or not, smoking is an addiction and one of the hardest to break even more than cocaine or heroin. It's a time bomb unlike the other stuff which hits immediately.

Watch out for the propaganda that is fostered by the tobacco companies about how it's not as harmful as polluted air or other things. They are in denial. And they are profitting from the sickness of others.

Keep up the bravery because that's what it is when you decide to kick the habit and follow through. Congratulations. The benefits will outweigh the temporary discomfort you feel now.

Frank Hamilton