[Buzz]

I quit smoking cold turkey at age 39 after 25 years. I was in Barbados on a business trip and ended up partying hard in the hotel lounge at 2am with a bunch of English folks. I happened to look across the bar into the mirror and saw myself puffing on a cigarette while the older follow sitting next to me - also holding a cigarette - was hacking and coughing up a lung. I had two left in my pack and I decided those would be my last.

I never smoked again and that was almost exactly 10 years ago. The toughest part I found was the physical aspect of habit. I was so used to having a cigarette in one hand, particularly when I had a drink in the other, that for a time I didn't know what to do with that free hand. It was far more of a factor than any chemical dependency based cavings.

Focusing on the negative aspects of the habit - crappy jungle mouth in the morning, stuffy nose, smelly clothes after a night out and the constant awareness of the health risks - helped me stick to my resolve every time I felt like lighting up.

It didn't take long to feel a big improvement in my endurance and general sense of well being and for that alone, I could never go back. The cravings went away surprisingly quickly. Some of my close friends still smoke and one of them was rushed to Martinique last Friday for emergency heart surgery. He will be ok and he's promised to quit smoking once and for all.

If you want to quit badly enough, it can be done. Good luck.