Listen up smokers!

If you want to quit and feel like you can't, I've got news for you.

Quitting smoking is easy!

Seriously, although I've quit about 5 times, I'm smoking as I write this. The quitting is the easy part. With just a little willpower, the nicotine is flushed out of you system in about three days. No more cravings.

Here is the hard part:

Don't start again!

That's what gets me everytime. Like Charlie Brown running at a football. I know my teeth will turn yellow, my clothes will stink, and I won't be able to get a solid days work done because I'm heading downstairs for a smoke, but I'm only going to have one. Where's the harm in that?

Three days later I'm a pack-a-day man again.

Update: As of 20000526 I have been smoke free for almost 3 weeks. This is the last time I'll quit.

Update: As of 20000724 I've got a cigarette in my hand again. Started a few weeks ago. However, I have finally figured out how not to start again. You see, I can quit and hang out with smokers, it's no problem, I just tell myself, "I'm not a smoker anymore."
I run into trouble hanging out with the casual smokers. You know, the people who only smoke at the bar, when they drink, or after a meal. I always think, "I can do that if they can." But I can't!

Update 20000831: Up until yesterday I had not had a cigarette in about a month. Then my girlfriend tried to give it up. She lasted about 36 hours and then needed to buy a pack. I told her that she might as well get me a pack too, hoping this would deter her from starting again. Well, she bought us both a pack. I was quite surprised at this and opened my pack to have a smoke. She grabbed them out of my hands and decided that neither one of us would start again. That lasted about an hour. I'm going to finish this pack and quit again.