Well, my friend, I'll tell you this in the hope that it will provide the impetus for your quitting. It never did for me, but . . . you may be wiser.

I smoked from the time I was a kid. Heck, everyone smoked back in the 50s and 60s. I was hooked by age 15 or so. And I stayed hooked for about 35 years. Healthy as a horse for all intents and purposes. Ran miles a week, etc.

Until I had a heart attack at age 45. Bad genes and nicotine gang aft agley.

I had a stint installed to open the old right coronary artery and recovered pretty well. And went back to the cigarettes. I have to tell you this honestly: I could not quit. I tried cold turkey, hypnotism, patches, gum, and voodoo. (Not really, but you get the picture.)

It was the massive heart attack at age 47 that got me. I had more stents installed in the left side, then crashed, had an emergency bypass that lasted two weeks, and then the biggie came on. I was "dead" when they took me off the helicopter.

After a week in a coma, I awoke with a tube down my throat and learned that my heart was shot. Only a transplant would save me.

Well, that's when I quit. That was over 6 years ago, but the moral of all this is: do whatever it takes to quit. If you find you can't, then you are truly addicted, as sure as any alcoholic or heroin addict, so get whatever help it takes. I'm still a "smoker" (read addict), but I don't smoke anymore. I would be afraid to take one hit.

Been dead, and it's not where you are supposed to go at a young age. I was fortunate.

Good luck, and God bless.