From Three-packs-a-day to Zero

In 1990, I was the 44-year-old vice-president of an insurance company going everywhere at 110 miles an hour. I always had one or two cigarettes burning somewhere. In the insurance industry, we call people like that 'bulletproof'. Every year we settle a number of death claims for families with husbands and fathers just like I used to be.

When I first checked out X Smokers, I was the original skeptic. Can you blame me? I was smoking three-and-a-half packs a day. In those days, they were about $6.50 a pack. Can you imagine? Almost $23.00 a day up in smoke!

And things had been this way since I was about 12-years-old. I smoked through a promising sports career, the rigors of a hectic profession, marriage, and raising a young family. In fact, my kids had never known me as a non-smoker.

Then, in February of 1990, I got home from my fifth X Smokers meeting (of eight), got my two sons out of bed and asked them to watch me smoke my last cigarette. "Oh sure," they said, "we've heard that one before!" And they had. You see, I'd tried everything; and I mean everything. Two cracks at that little computer counting system, which in fact was four times because you get to fall off the wagon once with each computer before you're forced to buy another one. I tried Cig-Arrest, cold turkey and all the gums and potions I could find. Nothing worked.

Peter Lambert's X Smokers made sense. Smoke while you’re learning to quit; go through gradual nicotine reduction (while still smoking); unlearn old behaviour; learn new ways of coping; and, while still in the program, discover how to cope with the future.

I'm not particularly religious, but I believe there may have been a deal with the Man upstairs. I mean, this is serious stuff! Smoke and die a horrible death like several of my friends, or quit and live a normal life with a loving family. No contest! No brainer!

I'm happy to say I made it for good! It's marvelous! I simply can't say enough about X Smokers. It saved me from the possibility of a shorter life, poor health, unhappiness, and loss of family and friends.

I urge you — put yourself in X-Smokers hands. Like me, you'll be amazed!

Joe Barnes

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