KT, I understand your fear. I was so frightened to stop smoking after 25+ years and I cried like a baby through most of the first week. What really helped me was to remember through everything was that giving up doesn't actually hurt - there's no physical pain. Sure, the cravings can be pretty unpleasant but those disappear quite quickly (2 days and nicotine's gone) and you can help your brain cope with those by calling them "recovery symptoms" and not "withdrawal symptoms" - your body will recover amazingly quickly. I think a lot of being successful at a quit is attitude. It sounds as though you "have" to quit but try to turn that around into a positive thing. You are not missing out on anything by stopping smoking - the only thing you are missing out on is wanting another cigarette. You will gain health, time, money, fitness, a sense of confidence and control, better skin, whiter teeth, less chance of heart attacks, cancer, strokes, you won't burn holes in your clothes or drop ash on your white trousers - I could go on and on but I am just trying to say focus on what you will gain, not what you will "lose" because you will one day see that you didn't "lose" anything apart from the desire to have another cigarette.
