I’ve Set My Quit Date — Quit Smoking With Me!

I'm quitting.

After smoking on and off for the past 13 years, I'm ready to finally give cigarettes the boot. I've quit unsuccessfully before, but this time I have a solid plan going in and am determined to become a permanent ex-smoker.

I've been getting support from the folks at the A Smoke Free Paso del Norte initiative, who have assisted so many smokers before me in the El Paso area transition to lives of being non smokers. The initiative provides support to those going through the extremely difficult process, and I encourage any smokers who have been thinking about giving quitting a try, to head over to their website and set their own quit dates. 

I've set Nov. 4 as my quit date. While a lot of people pick a day that has special meaning to them, I've picked one that seems realistic for myself. I set the date about a month ago and have been using an app on my phone called Smoke Free (available on iTunes and Google Play) that calculates how many cigarettes I'll have not smoked, money I saved and minutes added back to my life as I progress past my smoke date.

I'm also reading Alan Carr's Easy Ways to Stop Smoking, a book multiple of former smokers have told me assisted them in their quitting journey. I am not, however, going to do any sort of nicotine replacement. If nicotine is anything like ex-boyfriends, I think it's best to kick it to the curb and not let it keep its claws in me, clinging on, thinking it has a chance.

Another thing I have going for me this time is the support of tons of friends and family and all of YOU holding me accountable.

I urge any smokers to quit with me or any ex-smokers who've successfully quit and want to pass on any tips that helped them. to reach out to me on my Twitter or Facebook page. 

I'll be posting about my quitting journey as it progresses — you can follow it here.