Katmom..
I quit smoking in 1990. I was a two pack a day smoker and I completely went cold turkey and just quit. I couldnt even be around cigs or people who smoked for quite awhile when I first stopped. It took a conscious effort on my part NOT to reach up at the store and grab a pack. I walked around vending machines to avoid them. I wouldnt even go outside with friends who I knew were going to be smoking.
By say year 4 or 5 I could be around smokers again and even "watch" their cigs for them to run to the bathroom. I actually held one. That was probably the start of the downfall. We caught Cory sneaking and smoking cigs with some older teen boys when he was 10 and we decided to use that famous old method to teach him. I went and bought a pack of generic non filter kings. I lit them and then made him smoke as many of them as he could choke down. He was gagging and puking on the front lawn. Problem was I was getting nicotine back in me again. This was also right at the time a really stressful situation was going on at work and I picked up a cig from one of my friends about a week later and I started back. Within 2 weeks I was back to smoking 2 packs a day.
Cigs are just like alcohol...you cannot take the first drag. If you do you will be right back where you started. I rue to the day I ever picked it up again.
