You CAN do it. It got easier for me after day 3.
As a replacement, I got hooked on altoids - still carry them but switched to the mini sugar-free ones on the advice of my dentist (and wallet). My wife accuses me of being a peppermint addict, but that is not as bad. The only thing I can attribute to it is a bit of Borborygmus (new favorite word) which my Dr. and I blame on the sorbitol in the altoids.
Borborygumus? I had to look that one up! 
Altoids are a little too strong for me. I think I’ll stick with gum for now. That seems to be doing ok.
2 days, 18 hours and counting…
Hearing from everyone about how I can make it definitely helps. Heck, I can’t let everyone down now that I have broadcast my intentions to the entire Straight Dope community. 
Currently my favorite word…
I’m trying to quit, too! I haven’t had one since Saturday night. It’s helping that at the moment I’m battling a sinus infection, so smoking is the last thing on my mind. I’ve decided that I’m so grateful for my life and my body, so I need to stop disrespecting it by hastening its demise. Hang in there, Doctor, you are doing an awesome thing!
According the Quit Smoking Counter I have on my iGoogle page, I have already saved 6 hours and 7 minutes of my life. So, that seems more worthwhile than having some burning weeds in my mouth, eh? We’re gonna make it. Green Rosetta you have the dubious advantage to be distracted from the cravings – though I am not sure I would want the sinus infection. I try to keep busy, chew gum, drink coffee and not eat too much junk as a certainly don’t need to gain any weight!
:dubious:
What kind of doctor are you, Doctor?
Well, Doctor, I’m not a smoker, never have been (I consider that the easy way!), but good on you for stopping!
My FIL quit 22 years ago when he had his first heart attack, and says he’s never stopped wanting one psychologically, but physically, he stopped wanting to smoke not long after he quit. Apparently, the longer you go with no nicotine, the less you want it!
So, go Doctor!
Congrats! Quitting was the best decision I have ever made, and I agree that cold turkey is the only way to go. Alan Carr’s book worked for me, but anything that works is good.
I am at 1 year and 3 months as of last week.
Obviously not a medical doctor – otherwise why the hell would I be smoking? 
But that name is one I carry around for a few years for more than one reason. One of them, of course, being that my favorite Sci Fi character of all times is The Doctor from Doctor Who. But also, I fix things – especially computer things so I became the “system doctor” every place I work. And my job involves computers and electronics and often requires that I fix things. So I have earned the nickname “Doctor” from all that. Meanwhile, deep in my heart, I really, really want a sonic screwdriver, some psychic paper and my own TARDIS!
There have been several quit smoking threads around here where I’ve told what worked for me, but I’ll give you the reader’s digest version and if you want me to elaborate further, let me know.
There must be a true desire to stop. Once this happened for me it seemed easy.
Switch your mindset from “Smoker trying to quit” to “Non-smoker”. I have been a non-smoker for 2 years and 3 months on the 1st. It would be silly for a non-smoker to start smoking wouldn’t it?
Put the money aside for something special. I started a savings account linked right to my checking and put $21 a week into it on autodraft. (A pack a day at $3 each for a week.) A few weeks ago, I used a portion of what I had saved to start a Mary Kay business. Watch your savings grow as your quit equity grows.
Wash everything in your house. All the clothes, all the linens, all the curtains…anything that you can clean that can hold on to the smell. On previous quit attempts, I wanted to hang out with the smokers and get a second hand buzz. Now, I think it’s absolutely disgusting and can’t stand being within 20 feet of a smoker. It really bothers me. It’s embarrassing to be to know that I smelled like that.
Throw away any ashtrays, lighters, or other smoking paraphernalia in your house, car, and office. If you need a lighter for candles or a grill, get one of the long Bic stics that you can’t carry around with you. It may be obvious, but throw out any cigs that you might have stashed.
If there are any activities that trigger your smoking reflex, avoid them for a period of time no less than a year.
Exercise.
Find a hobby to channel your anxiety.
Tell everyone that you don’t smoke anymore. Tell them not to give you a cigarette no matter how hard and pitifully you beg. You will. Don’t go near anyone who would jeopardize your success. There are people out there who will be jealous of your progress and determination and will undermine your attempts. Trust me. These people do exist. I hope you are lucky enough not to know any.
If you slip, DON"T GIVE UP! A slip is just a slip. Don’t let it become a slide. Don’t be trapped by the mindset of “Well, I fucked up so I might as well buy a whole pack.”
We are all here rooting for you!
Hockey Monkey those are all good points and I am more or less following those rules. They are good advice for anyone who wants to quit. Step 1 is the key. I decided to do it and decided that I could do it and it is working. I am now 72 hours smoke free! Woo hoo!! It is theoretically downhill from here…
Thank you all for the moral support! 
For me that was key. I both wanted to quit and believed that I could quit. After that it was just a matter of deciding what I wanted to do first as a non smoker.
Step 1 is *definitely *the key. Once you decide, it all falls into place.
Download Silkquit - it will tell you how much you’ve saved, monetarily and healthwise.
I’m working on seven years “smober.”
Congratulations!
Hey pal–don’t make generalizations! I’m a Registered Nurse and my formerly smoking husband a physician. I remember when we kept ashtrays in the nurse’s station for the staff!
Ok, ok… I have run into it as well. But it has been getting better. I would hope if I was in the medical profession that someone would have beat me over the head by now in regards to smoking.
But, I guess like anything else, we can always believe “it won’t happen to me”. 
Funny race, us humans.
I have an iGoogle tool called Quit Smoking Counter which is currently telling me that I have saved 6 hours and 39 minutes of my life so far. And that I’ve saved $10.90 on cigs not smoked.
Those who are thinking about quitting, really decide and then the rest of it falls into place.
I really didn’t think I could do it as I had tried a few times before and failed big time. But I started looking at it again recently and so did my research on Google and settled on trying cold turkey as I had not done that before. And the data I was reading made sense to me. So I just quit - bang. And so far it is going well. Nothing intolerable, but definitely some odd sensations and so forth. So this is encouragement to anyone else who wants to quit. You can do it! Look at everyone trying to help me out who has done it.
Congrats Doctor, I’m nearly reaching the two week mark myself.
I applaud you for doing it cold turkey, I’ve tried that but it feels like I’m having a knife fight with myslef in a telephone booth. I’m on the patch. Be mindful of smoking triggers. For myself its a couple of beers on a friday night, they went hand in hand for me. I’ll have to switch to ceasars or abstain for awhile.
Congratulations!
I tried cutting down and stuff and it just didn’t work for me. I never did try the patch, but I was a bit against paying more money to kick a habit which was costing me too much money. Plus, I saw a few horror stories of people getting hooked on the “cure” and was a bit leery of that. But it probably has to do more with the fact that I am a cheap bastard.
But, I know that some people quit using those products, so all I can say is anything that works to get you off has got to be a good thing.
Day 4 for me and still clean!
Keep at it, Doc
I wish they still had the audio online, but the thing that pushed me over the edge was an NPR Weekend Edition piece by Scott Simon on March 22, 1997 about how Liggett had finally admitted they had been lying about the medical dangers of smoking.
I wadded up & tossed the partial pack I had sitting next to me and never smoked again.