I usually announce things here even before doing so to most folks in my RW, but for some reason I acting in reverse about this.
I’ve announced it at work (in a hospital, with seven nurses in my department), I’ve announced it to my sister and best friends, and now I say.
My goal is to stop smoking during May, and be smoke-free by June 1, when I’ll be fully moved onto my new digs. It’s a REALLY nice place, at least compared with my present place, and I don’t want to live in a smoggy hole any more.
There’s a lot of other reasons why NOW is a good psychological moment for me to quit. If you follow my postings as avidly as I do :D, you know I’ve got a new job that pays much better and is FAR more satisfying than any I’ve had before. I have a new car, that I also don’t want to saturate with ashes, as my old one eventually was.
I feel a much greater sense of stability than I have for a long time, maybe ever. I dropped out of college, got lucky in a job that started in central Illinois and moved me to Washington, DC. After leaving that job (a small public radio lobbying organization hit had by the Reagan Wave), I worked as a temp for 13 years, without even health insurance. Then I moved to Madison, went back to school and finally finished a degree in 1998. My first job AFTER the degree was what got me smoking AGAIN – I was stopped entirely from 1993 - 1998.
So I’m going to give this another shot. Also, nearly half my rent increase will be covered JUST by not buying cigs.
I read that if you quit a pack-a-day habit you save approximately $1800 a year. I had a friend quit a few months ago too - he chewed gum a lot (get sugarless so you don’t rot your teeth). Best of Luck to You!