Quitting smoking

[BJK]

I quite smoking for the final time in November of 2004. I'm saying it's the final time because I will not go through it again. If, one day in the future, I break down and start smoking again, I will do it for the rest of my life. Quitting smoking is the hardest thing I've ever done, and it still affects me almost two years later.

I don't deal well with cravings, and I do have cravings still. Those cravings make me ill tempered. I don't have physical withdrawl symptoms anymore, but the psychological symptoms were always worse for me. I also don't do well around second hand smoke. One hour of exposure to second hand smoke brings back all of the immediate withdrawl effects I felt when I quit.

My advice to any poker player who is trying to quit smoking is to be prepared to take a break from the game. I went about six weeks without playing, and my return to the game saw some huge losses before I learned to cope with the withdrawls at the table. Nothing tilts me more than when someone lights up at a no smoking table.

Congratulations on your decision to quit. I know that most poker players (at least the winning ones) don't believe in luck, but I wish you luck anyway in continuing with your quest. I'm on 19 months and counting, which puts me two months away from the longest I've gone without a cigarette since age 9.