Hello! I'm Jen. I've been smoking for about 20 years, and I have quit a few times and then relapsed. My longest quit was 1 year.
I just had a birthday and I thought to myself, every year I think that by my next birthday I will be a non-smoker, and here I am again, thinking that same tired thought. I am tired of it. I am tired of the struggle.
Being in my 40s, I am one of the last smokers I know. Most of old smoking buddies gave it up in the past decade. I'm trying not to beat myself up about being behind the curve, and instead just focus on what I need to do for my own health and happiness.
I am going to use the patch as I have had the most success in the past while using it.
Having failed a number of times in the past, I am hesitant to tell anyone I know that I am attempting to quit...again. I imagine them all rolling their eyes and thinking "yeah right."
So for now, I've decided to keep it to myself until I can say "I haven't had a cigarette in a month" and I am hoping that in the meantime using a forum like this will help me get support when I need it.
It's been about 16 hours since my last cigarette.
I've already almost caved about three times, but each time I talked myself out of it...I'm clinging to the knowledge that it will get easier over time!
So hello to everyone on here. I am excited to read about your experiences.