my first day without a cigarette

hello.  my name is jon and i have been smoking off and on for 16 years (almost half of my life).  i've finally made the decision to quit for good, and have created this blog to chronicle my experience.  i'm hoping that by posting my progress online it will help me to stick to my guns and quit for good.

i'm going to try to talk a little bit about my quitting experience each day, and maybe also fit in a little of my history with tobacco and my personal thoughts on its use.  for now, let me begin by saying that the last cigarette i smoked was around 3:30 am sunday morning 1/9/11.

just like the dozen or so other times that i have quit smoking in the past, i decided to "go out with a bang" by smoking a lot of cigs the night before my quit date.  doing this gives me the chance to dive into the habit without guilt for one night.  also, i know that i will feel like crap the next day, which i hope will give me even more resolve to quit.  i don't know if this works - it could be the worst idea there is, but since i had been invited to a small get-together saturday night, i decided to smoke as much as i could. 

sunday morning i was hungover and could barely breath.  my sinuses were sticky, my throat dry, and my voice raspy.  i fumbled for an old rescue inhaler i still have after a bout with acute bronchitis earlier this year and quickly sucked in 2 puffs.  i then had to return to bed until about noon before i was well enough to come out and see my wife and my beautiful 2-year-old son.  as i choked back tears, i knew that i was making the right choice, and that i have to take quitting seriously this time.

so today is my first day without a cigarette.   i still feel a little tight in my chest from this weekend's debauchery, but i feel very determined to succeed and i hope that anyone who comes across this blog will sympathize with me and encourage me to do the right thing.