I vowed I would never marry a smoker, but marry one I did. When I was pregnant with our first child, he would leave the apartment to smoke outside. Eventually I told him, if you continue to smoke then your time with the children and me will be greatly reduced because you can’t smoke around us. He gave that some thought and quit cold turkey, because he couldn’t stand the idea of quarantining himself from his family!
Election year stress? (Visions of coming apocalypse?) 
We’ve never been smokers but a friend of mine’s husband has relapsed after many years of not-smoking. His reason? Well, his co-workers often take a 15 minute smoking breaks (in addition to any normal breaks), and he felt “left out” when they’d all troop outside…so he started smoking again! Yuck!!!
another person I know tries to quit, and I think she’s successful at times, but she associates certain activities with smoking, and can’t resist at those times.
This may seem trivial to smoking cessation, but I cold turkey quit sodas at 1:30 am on 1/1/16 and I crave Pepsi everyday. At first I woke up during the night and thought about one, but the other day I realized that I made it to 1 pm before I thought about soda. Discouraging to read that folks still crave cigarettes years after stopping.
Congrats, @busyparent and all others who have done the hard work of quitting something to improve their health! You can do this! I think many times we like the memories even better than the actual THING (if that makes any sense). The memory of enjoying the substance has happy associations (generally) and tends to color our feelings toward the substance as well.
I never smoked but my parents smoked 5 packs a day between them. 3 for dad and 2 for mom. Dad quit about 40 years ago and Mom 25 years ago. Both still admit that in certain situations they still have a craving for cigarettes.
They also admit that they could not imagine being able to afford 5 packs a day now. I tell them it is not a problem because if they did not stop they would not have made it to 83 to worry about the cost.
I smoked a pack a day (two if there was alcohol involved) for almost 25 years. I’m ashamed to admit I smoked through two pregnancies, although I did cut down to just one or two cigarettes a day 
Once D was born, she had severe ear infections starting at 3 weeks old. At that point, I wasn’t smoking in the living area of the house but instead would go outside or into the basement and had cut down to probably 10 cigarettes a day. At about a year old, her doctor told me it was my fault she kept getting sick and that was all it took to make me quit. I smoked my last cigarette after Thanksgiving Dinner 1997 and never looked back. But I get it…I tried to quit soooo many times. I guess the reason was never good enough until then.
A very good friend of mine had surgery about 7 weeks ago and has been a heavy smoker her entire life. She decided she’d quit during the hospitalization. So far so good, its 49 days (or $490 so she says) but I can tell she’s having a tough time. It is the hardest thing some people will every do in their lifetime.
I smoked in high school and college. I was up to 2 packs a day at age 20. I quit cold turkey for Lent my sophomore year. I substituted 3 Musketeers bars for cigarettes (not the smartest substitution). I never picked up a cigarette again. However, for many years (probably close to 15 years), I would have recurring dreams where I started smoking again. The dreams were so realistic that I work up practically in tears because I really believed I’d started smoking again.
@PNWedwonk - election year!! That will drive folks to smoke and drink!! I think you are onto something!
It is fascinating how many of you dream about smoking.
I dream of smoking too, then I freak out. I used to remember the date I quit forever. Can’t now. I stopped when I was preg but started again. I tried many times and failed, but never gave up on trying. The last time I knew it would stick because I developed an aversion to the smell, I get sick when I smell it. I knew then that I would never smoke again ever. I do have an Aunt who quit just as long ago but she loves the smell (and her husband still smokes)