Well...........6 months ago today..........

[Jim King]

Ken:

I have made it four months and went from 80 a day to nothing. They were good local river tobaco made in the local market. Two heart attacks and three strokes from New Years day into February finally convinced me. I think what really did it was the last time I passed out in the shop and fell into a pile of very hard turning blanks with very hard corners. A couple of days later when I woke up in the hospital and had all the dents in my face and head I assume that is what knocked some sense into me.

I also went on a diet and immediatly gained 25 pounds, that is the next problem as my wife refuses to buy blue jeans any bigger.

The problem is that two or three times a day I still want one. Good luck.

[Martin Shupe]

Ken,

We are all proud of you, and pulling for you.

Congratulations on your 6 month anniversary.

Next milestone: one year!

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Good work Ken! I have seen others struggle with this and I know it's not easy. I'm sure the spiny thing helps. What will your next new toy be?

I just read your other post. Avoiding those cigs now probably means more time to spend with your new great-granddaughter. Congrats on all fronts!

[Frankie Hunt]

Congratulations!! Keep it up!!!!

Cigarettes killed both of my parents. My mom in her 50s my dad at 65. Both smoked Lucky Strikes, 2 packs per day since their teens. I tried every way I could to get them to stop, but could not. My mom on her death bed told me she was going to quit, but it was too late. I told dad that I wished they cost $3.00 per pack and he would get real mad at me. I think they cost 35 cents per pack then. I have no idea how much they cost per pack now, but I know well how much they cost per family.

[Mark Pruitt]

Hey Ken, I just now caught this thread....
WAY TO GO!!!

Bad habits are tough to beat, but they are NOT invincible!
YOU DA MAN!!!

[Richard Gillespie]

36 years ago, I quit a 60 cigarette a day habit. Packs were up to $.36 each. Now that they are 10x that much, it's astounding. There wasn't any assists available, I did it cold turkey. At that time, I was 24 years old. I was already in chronic bronchitis. The doctor said the next step was emphysema, a very slow, walking death.

However, every once in a while the desire still comes up and kicks me in the butt. You must stay strong. The alternative is a slavery to a habit that usually results in a nasty death.

[Terry Hatfield]

Congrats Ken!!!!!!!!!!!!

I quit just over a year ago. 2 pack a day habit. No gum. No patch. No nuttin'. Just quit cold turkey. It was really hard!!! And I mean REALLY HARD!!! I finally threw the opened pack away about a month ago that I've carried in my truck for a year. It feels good to not smoke but did I mention that it was REALLY HARD to quit!!!!!!!!!! I didn't gain any weight but I was a old fat guy even when I smoked.

Seriously, you are doing great. Don't give up now!!

Terry

[Don Baer]

Ken,
I quit cigerets over 10 years ago. I quit cold turkey. I gained weight steadily until i reached a weight that was truly unhealthy. Several months ago (6 or 8 ) I decided to take control of my life and loose weight. I have lost 50 lbs so far and am determined to loose another 60 lbs. I guess what I am saying is as we grow older we need to asses our piorities and take control of our lives.
Keep up the good work. You have already beat the habit. Realy after this amount of time your are over the smooking habit. Let the spin crank replace the urge to light up...

[Craig Feuerzeig]

You rock Ken... and tomorrow will be even easier than today.
Are you starting to wonder where all that extra time/energy/money is coming from?

[Dave Fifield]

I haven't smoked for.......ever. Never touched the stuff so I have no idea what you're going through Ken, but good luck with it and I hope you stick it out!

Dave F.

[jonathan snyder]

Congrats Ken,

I know haw hard it is! Its been 8 1/2 months for me. I so glad I quit, I feel so much better. I WILL NEVER SMOKE AGAIN! I have to keep telling myself that, cause it is still tough sometimes.

Hang in there every day gets better!

JOnathan

[Barry Stratton]

Are you starting to wonder where all that extra time/energy/money is coming from?

Remember, he has a lathe - still mounted on a 2X between two ladders I believe. Those things suck the money right out of your wallet while you spend all your time and energy feeding it! Come to think of it, I haven't seen any progress pics of his shop for a while.

CONGRATS KEN!!!!! Keep going buddy.

[Erin Raasch]

I smoked my last cigarette. I won't promise anyone including myself that I won't have one 10 minutes from now. But....with the aid of nicotene laced gum it's been 6 months today. I smoked cigarettes for 41 years. The last 30 I was smoking a pack and a half a day. I've only gained 1 pound for each cigarette I haven't smoked.... and I've not killed anyone .......yet!

I don't know how I missed this one - big congratulations, Ken! On July 17 I celebrated 2 months quit. After a pack a day for 35 years, I could no longer pretend that it wasn't taking a godawful toll on my health. I quit with the help of Zyban, and so far it's been much easier than I ever would have thought. Not that I don't still think I want one now and then, but it's been manageable. The good news is that I haven't gained any weight, but I haven't lost any, either. That will be my next battle!

Erin