>  I personally found it to be the most
>difficult thing I ever did in my life. You really think that eating right
>helped?  Did you ever try to quit before you changed your diet?

        i smoked from age 14 to 28, when i quit the first time.  i was
eating the generic American high-carb processed diet at the time.  it was
*very* hard to quit (as you experienced). luckily, no one was actually
physically injured during the process (although i had frequent homicidal
impulses the first couple weeks). i gained about 10-15 pounds, probably
because every time i wanted to smoke, i ate some candy, so the nicotine
withdrawal was combined with a sugar rush.
        i started smoking again at age 35, until last week, when i quit.
this time was so much easier.  i had gradually cut back on how many
cigarettes i smoked during the previous week.  then i said, OK, that's it, i
quit.  i did have some symptoms of withdrawal, but i drank lots of water, to
try to hurry along the detox.  and the cravings were very minimal, nothing
as bad as i remembered from before.
        so if anyone besides me is still smoking, go ahead, quit.  it's not
that bad.

JoAnn.