That is AWESOME Danny!!!

I wish you the best in your stopping.

I hope to have that strength one day  

Danny - SO glad to hear this. You obviously have lots of support here.
Also a very wise idea to post this. You reached out for support, whether you did it consciously or not. Beating this is not something you need to do
On your own. 
Like tbosco, I have never smoked so I cannot even begin too relate to what
You are going thru and what you will go thru, but I have much respect for
Anyone that can do this.
Question, why did you just box up and put away your smokes instead of throwing them away?
Rain made an excellent point about using the act of smoking as a crutch, as a way to relieve tension, frustration, anxiety etc.
Now with that not an option, perhaps it would be good to enlist the help
Of your 'little girlfriends' when that relief is needed!  LOL!!!

The mind is crazy powerful. We create all sorts of strategies to get us
Thru life. Many of these strategies are destructive. However it is really
Quite amazing how quickly you can build new strategies that are positive
And support your goals.
Pay attention to these. What a great time to look inside and learn something new about yourself. I think maybe you already have.

As to the lump you found, well bro, I will speak to the Universe on your behalf after meditation this morning.
I have not achieved my guitar sound yet and I still need your guidance...
Ha. 

You have many friends here man. We are all just a shout out away during 
Those times you might need an ear, or a kick in the ass.

Say strong Danny.
Very proud of you man.

Dave

Thanks Mike! When you're ready, I'm sure you'll make a move. I definitely wasn't ready nor did I see it coming. 5 days now and enjoying every moment without feeling depressed, craving or missing out on anything. :) When I breathe now bro...I feel like I'm breathing in life and am high as a kite. Did a show last night, copped a bit of a buzz, still no desire to smoke and because I'm a lil court jester sometimes, I had to keep poking my head outside where the smokers were while yelling "pew...you guys stink!" Hahaha!

Dave: Thanks and yeah, the support has been great. Though I welcome it all, I wasn't really looking for it. I basically wanted to vent about it and possibly make a few other good people consider quitting. I can definitely beat this or anything else on my own. I'm VERY strong...and am also an only child, so I'm used to doing things alone. :) It's nice to have reinforcements though. LOL!

Why did I box up my smokes? I'm a pack rat. Everything has sentimental value to me and at some point, I may want a cig. No to smoke...but I like to play smoke. I did that the other day with a cig from my pack. I had no intention of lighting it and honest when I tell you, I never want to breathe that stuff into my lungs again. But just messing faking the unlit cig was enough to make me laugh. I'm sadistic man. Seriously...I copped a buzz Saturday night just to see if it would make me want to smoke. This is how I do things....to the extreme. When my mother passed away, I had cry sessions purposely until I was all cried out. After 6 months of going through her stuff, looking at cards she had given me, her last crossword puzzles in the hospital....I couldn't cry anymore. I'll never get over her...but I sure am glad the crying has stopped. Because of my way of dealing with things being a bit extreme, it's all I know and it helps me move on from things better.

The cig thing is over....I will not go back ever. Someone bought me an E-cig last night. I refused it. When I do get a slight urge, I grab a carrot or celery stick. But honest, the cig cravings have been slim to none and last for literally 1 second before I laugh and say "ok, you got me there....but I still beat you!" :)

Thanks for the talk with the universe. I don't think it's anything but then again, you never know. What ever happens happens...I hope for the best but will accept the worst if need be and will go down swingin'. :) We'll get that guitar sound soon enough...no worries there. Haahaha! Thanks again Dave. (and everyone else)

-Danny

Great news Danny - keep on stopping man!!

I remember a lovely story from Frank Zappa who was a habitual smoker (and it probably killed him)

He once gave up smoking and after a couple of weeks realised he could smell things again - "unfortunately, I didn't like the way things smelled so I started smoking again"

Congrats on quitting!  I don't have any personal insights to offer since I never started. 

Breaking any habitual psychological addiction is hard.  Danny and JB, I wish you all the best in your efforts to break this one.  I'm praying for you guys.  It sounds like you're off to a great start.

Thanks Jonesey! It's funny....I can relate to Frank's comment but in a different way. I stopped smoking one other time because I was really sick. When I was well again, I went to sing and this beautiful thing came out that no longer fit my music. I had always carried my cigs with me in case I wanted one. Mind you, I didn't quit or try to quit at that time. I was too sick to smoke and just had lost the desire completely by the time I was well again.

But man, I tried everything while singing to try and rough things up. It just wasn't working. Too clean, too polished, too....I don't know, pop sounding for a rock/metal piece? I told the guys the only thing I could think of was I hadn't smoked. So I went outside, had a smoke, it made me all light-headed, I came in and sang, and that fast, Danny vocal was back. I smoked ever since and always pretty much blamed it on that encounter. I had it beat...no desire to smoke at all. Go figure.

I sang Saturday night and wasn't crazy about how I sounded. How on earth could I sound so decent as a smoker yet a few days away, and I struggeled a bit? Probably due to my lungs cleaning themselves out. Not coughing or anything though....just not feeling my pitches like I once did. This better change or.....I'm not going to sing anymore. :)

Bubba: Thanks man! I always appreciate the prayers and good thoughts. I'm sure Jon does too. I had my Dr. check up today. All was well. Lump I found is a small fat cell that's harmless. Heart and lungs were great the doc said. He said he didn't even hear anything that resembled the lungs of a smoker which blew me away. Waiting on blood work now...so hopefully that's good too and I'll be on my way to better health going into my later middle ages. :)

-Danny

Hey great news From the doc Danny! Glad to hear it.

Maybe your new 'sweet voice' can usher in a new genre of music or something.
Metal ballads maybe.
Or rock-n-roll lullabies.  (Snicker)
(Mommy, who is that long haired boy singing with the nice voice)?

Mother to daughter --- he's still a musician honey, stay away from him!
That voice is deceiving.....

Hi Danny,

A bit late but wanted to congratulate you on your journey.  

I haven't bought a pack of smokes since 2007 after smoking off and on for about 30 years.  During that 30 year period, I attempted to "quit" many times but always ended going back.  What seemed to work for me was that I changed how I viewed smoking in the same way as an alcoholic views drinking.  I will always be a smoker ... I just choose to not to.   

I don't denied my cravings (usually triggered by life's ups and downs) and if I slip, I'm back on the horse the next day.  Enjoy the good days but don't fear the bad as they will pass.

Cheers,

jayson

Dave: Thanks! Yeah I was pretty glad too. Like a monkey off my back. Just hoping for good blood work now. LOL @ the new sweet voice. Hahahaha! I really hope my voice shows up for the album I'm working on. I don't know what I'm gonna do if it doesn't come together quickly. I got record people that would really be upset with me. Though it ain't worth me being sick over, I think I'd smoke until I was done singing on the new album over losing my deal and the advances. I really hope it doesn't come to that. I will not abandon this and will exhaust every possibility. :)

Jayson: Hey man, thanks a lot! Yeah I know there may be a chance of falling off the wagon. I'm going to try my best not to though...and if I do, I'll get right back on. So far no cravings at all. I think tomorrow may be 1 week already for me....or maybe it's today? I think I stopped on Tuesday of last week. Whatever the case, I feel great and don't miss them a little bit. 

That's a good way to look at it...I too will always be a smoker...even if I never smoke again. I'm just choosing not to right now and hopefully never again. Knowing my dumb butt I'd wind up being a smoker just when I record vocal tracks. I'm going to learn to control this though. It's just a bit too clean and sort of pitchy due to my lungs cleaning themselves out. One thing I never am...is pitchy, so this is sort of scary and is messing with my career now. It's gotta get better...I just hope it doesn't take too much longer for me to stabilize. I hope you beat it one day for good. I definitely feel 100 times better without smoking. :)

-Danny

Hey Danny, have you tried something like gargling with a shot of whisky or scotch before singing?
That always seems to do something to my throat and makes a big difference
when singing.
Notice I say gargling and not drinking.... 
(Hey Danny's voice sounds better but he sure is wasted. He missed the intro again!)

I'm sure there are other tricks people use for this same result.
Actually would be interesting to hear them.

What about eating peanuts? Those always rasp up my voice for a while too.

Good luck on figuring this one out. Really hope you can get to a workable solution short of having to smoke to make it happen.
This is a rock and a hard place man when it's your career in the balance.

Even if you have to smoke to get your vocal tracks down, your head seems to be screwed on correctly now so my bet would be you can resume the quitting
when vocals are complete.
Again, good luck man.

Dave