Well, 9block, you just mentioned a very typical thing there, you say you don't smoke that many cigars, but when you go out drinking you go through a whole pack.
I have seen that happen quite often.
i know two people who do not smoke that much, a 25 pack of cigarettes lasts them about a week, but when they start lighting one cigarette after the other it is a clear tell tale sign they have had a drink.
Me too, although i smoke a lot more than you do, when i have had a drink i go through more ciggies than usual.
Funny enough, if you (or anyone) could manage not to smoke a single cigar or cigarette or whatever while out drinking, it would take you much longer to get drunk, or you might not even get drunk at all, even if you drink as much as you normally need in order to get tipsy.
Unfortunately, it is also the case that people who have given up smoking often start again when they have had a drink.
That obviously happens because in this state they have less control over their thoughts, actions and willpower, and also the mentality of some people, when they know someone has given up either smoking or drinking, they will go on trying to tempt these people by insisting on them having a cigarette or a drink of alcohol (why on earth do they always have to do that?).
But unfortunately, people often give in as a result of that, with all the well known consequences.
Now, on the subject of giving up, I myself gave up three times, the first time, I stuck it out for about a fortnight, until everyone around me kept begging me to start again, saying "please, go to a pub or a shop, get yourself a packet of cigarettes and light one, because you are impossible to live with" (now I think about it, I really was a pain in the butt, touchy, nasty, grumpy, I argued over nothing....).
Anyway, that was the end of my first attempt.
Then, six years ago, I decided to give it another go, while trying to use nicotine patches.
Believe it or not, I start using the patches, stop the ciggies, guess what, the same night I am in an ambulance having a heart attack.
The worst thing was that I had to celebrate Christmas in hospital. I must also confess that, the week before that happened i had developed angina.
Anyway, after three weeks in hospital, they unclogged my artery with the balloon they blow up in it and put a stent there, and I have never had any chest pain since.
On that occasion I managed to stay off the cigarettes for 5 months.
You are not going to believe this, but due to personal problems, stress, worry and lots of things to do, the first thing I grabbed for was a packet of cigarettes.
Then, about two years after that, i went to counseling sessions, i used nicotine lozenges then, and to be quite honest, I felt like I did not really need them.
I managed to stay off the cigarettes for about three months, and once again, with changing jobs and having a very stressful life, and because off the wife nagging (we had the counseling sessions together, and for her it proved a great deal more difficult than it was for me) I started again, believe it or not.
Now I am trying to pick a time to give up again (after all, they say "don't give up giving up"), although I do not feel ready for it yet, all of a sudden I will probably have a spell again where I say "why the heck am I doing this?" and give up, it will probably be for good then.
I know it causes you a lot of damage and furthermore, you can save a lot of money too with giving up, but it certainly is not easy.
And if there are people here who say "What a cheap excuse, starting again due to the reasons you gave", well, think again, it is certainly anything but an excuse, and I hope anyone who effectively wants to give up never has the stress i had to cope with, don't forget, you are already tense when you give up, and if external factors add to that, it is enough to drive anyone back to that little white stick.
Anyway, the best of luck to anyone who wants to give it a go to give up.
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I still smoke ive tried to quit but its to hard and cigs are like a stress reliever to me. I have tried the 
