Gene,
Actually I understood your post very well, actually too well. I started smoking at a very young age (just to try it), & soon became addicted. I realize now, after reading my medical records from my youth, that I was a “very nervous child.” In my late 20s I developed severe anxiety disorder, which I still have to this day (take klonipin for that.)
Anyways, when I lost the use of my hands back in 2002 & was so sick anyways, I found it very easy to quit smoking for 3 years. But once I got the use of my hands back, I was bored to death & wanted something back from the old me. I started smoking again & the only reason I regret it now is that I am the only one in my family or extended family that smokes, so I often feel like an outcast. But I only smoke in my own home or car, never in a restaurant or around other people. But I do feel bad for my husband, but he does go out to the garage all of the time for his cigars (a new habit since he retired.) Between the two of us, I suppose we do spend a lot on nicotine products, but luckily our children our grown & we can afford it! I hate to admit that I really do enjoy smoking, it relaxes me & helps me to concentrate.

It is really strange to have so many respond this quickly about getting GBS so soon after quitting smoking. It reminds me of my father who quite smoking at age 60 & was so proud of it. He died two years later of a heart attack & his GP of many years said that he should not have quit smoking after all of those years (he had started at age 13.) He said it was too much of a shock to his system. That was 30 years ago now, but does anyone believe that the doctor could have been right?

BTW I quit cold turkey when I got CIDP, easy to do when one cannot use their hands. It lasted 3 years, never really missed it, but then I started again two years ago. Really a stupid thing to do, but I had gained sooo much weight while on steroids & also believed it would help my foot pain. It did help me with the weight loss & I was finally able to bear weight on my feet again, but I think the real reason I started again was because I could. I could not walk, or drive, or read (cataracts), or clean, etc. but I could smoke. Am I sorry? Probably, but I guess I really needed it at the time. But then I never had the breathing problems like so many of you who had GS…