Congrats.
Today is my 12th day smoke free. This is my 4th quit this year
2 of them lasted about 2 weeks and another lasted 2 1/2 months.
I'm using chantix. It sucks in one way because I'm using a drug instead of doing it cold turkey, but on the other hand there is no nicotine in my system.
Here's my take.
Getting through the first few days or weeks is going to be easier than you think, because you're expecting it to be hell and when you find out it's not you feel better.
Getting from there to being a permanent quitter is hard because once you pass a certain threshold like a month or 3 months or whatever, you think you have it licked and don't worry about it anymore, and then a craving will come out of nowhere and hit you like a sledgehammer.
You have to kind of treat it like an alcoholic or junky would. You can quit for 20 years but one puff and you'll be right back to a pack a day or two packs or whatever your amount is.
I heard John McCain on the radio a few weeks ago talking about health care, and he quit smoking in 1980 and says he still wishes he could have a cigarette.
Anyways, here are some resources I've found around the web that have been useful to me
http://www.whyquit.com/
full of great info
https://youtube.com/watch?v=dn50mTEGnrU
this video helps when I'm having a craving.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SPC/co...okers_Quit.asp
This is a timeline of how your body repairs itself when you quit smoking. It'll give you something to look forward to health-wise as your quit progresses.
I've also found it helpful to read blogs of people who have or are quitting smoking. All of the ones I read are people taking chantix though, so that may not apply to you.