I have been a one pack a day smoker since I was 19 years old (over ten years ago). I quit one time for a year (during a pregnancy) and one time for seven whole days. In the past five years, I have tried nicorette, wellbutrin, cold turkey and patches. I have done the American Lung Association's online quit class (which is a great class and was the reason I quit for seven days....a triumph in my mind). But ultimately, nothing has helped.

I have decided that its time to put serious effort into kicking this habit for good, and although this little hub is mostly my own way to keep myself motivated, I am hopeful that some wayward smoker out there might read it and get inspired. I have also decided that instead of trying to find the holy grail of products that will make quitting painless, I am going to just have to do the work myself.

Today I smoked my usual entire pack of cigarettes. Tomorrow is going to be a different story. Although all the quitting programs tell you that cutting down doesn't work--screw them. None of their methods have worked so far, so I'm doing it my way.

I read on StevePavlina.com an article about how to make significant changes in your life, and it inspired me. He wrote that rather than telling yourself you are quitting for a lifetime, simply tell yourself that you're trying out quitting for 30 days. (This applies to anything--getting off caffeine, eating healthier, etc.) So, I am going to cut down to 5 cigarettes a day for the next 30 days, starting right now.

I won't lie--most of the reason why I am so motivated is because I have a scary pain in my chest that isn't going away. I am going to get myself to the doctor this week to hopefully rule out the myriad illnesses that are plaguing my mind, but in the meantime, I'm starting my 30 day trial.

So if the tune of my hubs changes dramatically over the next few days--don't be scared. It is still me, only with a lot less nicotine in my system and a lot more anger and self-pity. I could be all rosy and say that this is going to be easy, but I know myself too well and have tried to quit too many times to say that I will remain in good spirits during this transition. I'll try, but I'm not making any promises! Plus, I think it is better for me to accept that this will be hard, and just go with it knowing that rather than deluding myself into thinking it will be simple.

So, here goes. Wish me luck. For anyone actually reading this, I'll keep you posted !