I will tell you my story of how I gave up smoking.

This story begins 2 years ago, when I was in my last year in the university and one of the joys of life there was to go for a smoke and hang out with friends during the breaks between lectures.

But once, during one of such breaks, I managed to look at ourselves from the outside. And I saw not cool young guys with stylish cigarettes in their mouths that add toughness to their masters but just a group of nervous, irresolute teenagers sucking these nicotine sticks and spitting on the floor their tuberculous slobber (there are tuberculous bacteria in the smoker's spit).  Some of them smoked one cigarette after another, slavered filthily filters and threw cigarette butts without looking where.   And when I noticed that I didn't take off on smoking I felt upset: was I just a miserable tobacco addict not having enough will power to stop popping into my mouth these nicotine sticks?! No thanks, tobacco manufactures! You won't trick me out of money and health!  I will get off your hook!!!

All this made me think over the quitting.

I had gotten a lot of books and video materials about damage effects of smoking.  I was reading, watching and getting ready... And, at last, one fine day I abruptly gave up smoking...

The first 72 hours were hard. I overdrank beer and ate kilograms of shrimps (I had an inclination for seafood).   Then I got a new job.  At my work almost everybody smoked but somehow they treated me in the right way and immediately gave me heaps of reasons that I did well - and it gave me strength.  Two-three months flew by, there were evident improvements of my appetite and complexion; it was easier to get up in the morning, BUT almost every day I drank beer:  one day - one bottle, another - several ones.

Two months passed like that. I communicated with smokers, made breaks with them for "smoking" when they poisoned themselves with smoke surrounding me. They took offence at me when I tried to convince them to quit, giving reasons about damages of smoking, - they took deadly offence at me.  Well, you don't want - it's up to you...

So, 2 months passed, my health began to improve but there appeared beer alcoholism and then the New Year came...  On the New Year's I got drunk and in such a state I smoked one cigarette.  You won't believe— the taste was repulsive and disgusting, I was near to vomit.   It was the taste of my first cigarettes, when I started smoking ten years ago! Then I smoked one more, and more... I smoked until the taste of cigarettes became habitual and familiar, and pleasant. In short, I had a breakdown.

During next two years I made futile attempts to give up, I married and tried to quit smoking together with my wife. It must be confessed that it is doubly difficult.

It was so hard that we were awfully nervous and hysterical!  I remember that after a day or two without nicotine, during another attempt to quit smoking, we were twisting about on the floor of our corridor trying not to go for cigarettes!  After that we were convinced that it was addiction and not just a habit.

Thanks to you, Michael, we managed to give up. After doing exercises in accordance with your methodology it became impossible to start smoking: we were vomiting after a cigarette. I and my wife, Molly, want to  thank you.  To tell the truth first week was very hard, the second one was easier, the third - hard again.   And it is necessary to take into account that I don't drink.

When I extremely want to smoke I eat mint sugar candies or peanuts.  I began to drink coffee in large quantities - perhaps caffeine and nicotine are toxic and my organism is used to toxins. And every week-end we also go to the pine forest to clean our lungs.  I looked through the site containing hints for "ex-smokers" and bought in the drugstore a special herb repertory for doing inhalations which clean the organism from tars.   But I haven't had time yet to try it.

I can advise all smokers trying to quit only one thing: don't refuse your idea under no circumstances; the thing is worth the effort!