Quit....it's a priority for the rest of your life.

It was a little early in the afternoon, to be going home, so I drop in at the local watering hole when I saw an old friends car in the parking lot. He sat there alone at the bar with his customary glass of wine. I ordered my usual beer and sat on a stool beside him. After the usual cheerful jabs at each other as a greeting, I reached in my shirt pocket and pulled out my pack of smokes. I grabbed one between my teeth and tossed the pack on the bar. Then I said to my friend, "I wish I could quit those",smoking cessation, and pointed at the pack. My friend replied, "I wish I could quit this", and pointed at his glass of wine. He wasn't in good shape. The wine and the hardships it created in his life had taken it's toll over the years.I thought about cigarettes taking a toll on my health all the way home. Thirty six years is a lot of smoke. By the time I reached home had determined to quit. Even though I just purchased a couple of new packs before I left for home, I destroyed them all. My wife did not believe me for a second and thought I'd be running out the door first thing when I woke to buy cigarettes.I didn't buy anymore cigarettes. I didn't bum any cigarettes. I hung on for nearly a week. Unable to do much of anything besides focusing on resisting the cravings for nicotine. Then I found this BB and became one of the first members (Did Fred retire?). Helping each other through this message board was of immense help in my quit. I never allowed myself to even think of having just one. There were two dreams I had about being tempted to smoke but I didn't even in my dreams. I had already smoked my last cigarette. There were no more for me.I didn't change my lifestyle purposely although it changed a great deal after quitting. I still would have a drink with my friends who smoked but it wouldn't tempt me. My focus was always on ridding myself of this dirty stupid addiction no matter what it took. Some of my friends chided me. Some of my friends praised me. A very good friendship was ruined because he hated that I quit and his wife was always on his back about quitting. Since then he suffered a heart attack and they found cancer. Apparently, treatment was effective and he survived cancer free. Then he turned to smoking Tiparillos. Don't ask me why.My friend with the glass of wine went in the hospital a little over a year later, for some minor surgery. He never regained consciousness. His body just gave up fighting the abuse.I kept fighting the cravings and wonRichard - Free and Healing for Ten Years, Five Months, Four Days, 15 Hours and 3 Minutes,stop smoking, while extending my life expectancy 476 Days and 1 Hour, by avoiding the use of 137111 nicotine delivery devices that would have cost me $36,224.35.