How I quit smoking cigarettes

For any smokers who want to quit smoking, I hope that my story will help you to quit.  This is how I quit smoking.  Actually, let me back up and tell you how I started.  I was in the seventh grade and peer pressure got the best of me.  Imagine that...a twelve year old boy smoking cigarettes during and after school. 

Fast forward twelve years to right before my twenty fourth birthday.  I made a promise that I would quit smoking because that would have meant that I would have been smoking for half my life.  Of course, throughout the years I tried and tried again to quit but failed.  At the time, my brother and sister-in-law had their first daughter.  I don't have kids and this was my first niece.  As I lit each cigarette, I thought to myself, "I'm taking away years of my life and may not grow old enough to watch my niece grow up.  Besides, what kind of example would I be setting?  I would never allow her to smoke even if she wasn't my daughter."  There were the thoughts and now here comes the action.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you view things, I came down with a bad upper respiratory sickness.  Normally, if I was sick, I'd still smoke but this time was different.  I had more than one reason to quit.  For my health and for my nieces.  Yes, my brother and sister-in-law had another daughter, both I love with all my heart. 

It was hard quitting cold turkey and many temptations arose.  Coworkers who I used to take smoke breaks with would keep inviting me but each time, I'd say no.  I'd avoid taking any breaks from my job.  I took it one day at a time and at the end of each day I thought, "Wow, one more day I haven't smoked."  Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months and months turned to years.  Before I knew it, I lost the cravings to smoke cigarettes and haven't smoked a cigarette in eight years.  I intend never to smoke a cigarette again for the rest of my life.