How many times have you heard that line?  As a non-smoker of two years, I can breathe normally again. I don't have to hack in the morning, with mucus of various colors erupting in my throat. I can walk longer distances. I can hang out in the house with my kids all day instead of standing outside taking a ten minute "smoke break" every twenty minutes. And best of all, I may just live long enough to see my grandchildren.

I didn't think I could do it. I had tried to quit several times before. I found that cold turkey always worked the best. But I had only been able to last two years one time and just over a year the other time. It was always the same. I became an anti-smoker (surrounded by smokestacks) and gradually I would break down and "take a drag" here and there to deal with stressful issues. I was actually encouraged by my husband towards the end of my smoking to smoke, because he did not like me when I was not smoking. That was the concensus, really. When Laura wasn't smoking, Laura wasn't happy. Laura is the momma. If Laura ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. So Laura needed to be smoking.

But then I also wanted to live to see my grandchildren. So I called my hypnotist, Gail, and asked to be hypnotized out of smoking. Gail had a reputation around town for being good at helping people quit. She agreed and told me what type of nicotine patch to purchase before I came in for the session.

Gail's voice was very nice and comforting, and I fell right into a deep sleep. I have no idea what she said to me. I think I went to sleep. I was pretty worn out and tired that day. As I drifted off, I remember that I heard her mumbling something about smokers being second-class citizens, but that is all I can remember.

When I woke up, I didn't want a cigarette. At all. But I wore the patch to curb the physical craving and went about my merry way. I did go back in six months later for a recharge, but then I have been on my own ever since without a cigarette.

I quit smoking two years ago now, and I feel so much better. I think that tobacco is a horrible product. I wish I had never touched the stuff. It can really get a grip on a person. It's like a long method of suicide. But to quit, you have to have a true desire to quit. If it is only a half-hearted desire, or you don't believe that the tobacco-related health problems can happen to you, the motivation to quit is not as strong. If you have a great desire to live life to the fullest, you are well on your way to quitting already.

If I learned anything over the time I have spent smoking and quitting smoking and trying to quit smoking and going back to smoking, it is that if you can go one minute without a cigarette, you can go two, and then three, and then ten and then a half hour, and then a half day, and then a whole day, and the the rest of the week. You don't have to smoke. Quitting now could significantly lengthen your life.

Using hypnosis combined with the patch has worked the best and longest for me thus far. I still like the smell of tobacco smoke and get the occasional craving, but none are so strong that I cannot resist the odor. I have grandchildren to meet someday. I can pretend to smoke in heaven. Of course, some may truly be smoking in the other place...