Originally Posted by: schmangeYeah, I used to smoke about a pack a day and quit about 18 years ago.
I got a persistant cough so bad I couldn't sleep one night, so I got up and squished my whole pack of smokes into a ball and tossed em in the garbage.

My dad went through the same thing. Kept telling himself that he could have one "later" and made sure that later never came.

I never smoked, but I've quit other things and counselled people who have been in various stages of quitting various things. The first four days are the hardest. Also, the first two weeks seem to be a real obstacle; if you can get over that hump you're in the clear. Most people are successful when they do it cold turkey rather than by easing off gradually. And remember to replace it with something else rather than just dropping it altogether. Oh, and avoid areas of temptation if you can, where you'd find it hard to not smoke.