Jason Heller had never admitted to himself that he was hooked on smoking.
He thought smoking was a dirty, smelly habit.
Both his parents were smokers and as a child his clothes reeked of nicotine.
Throughout most of his impressionable teens Jason did not smoke, despite peer pressure.
But by the age of 18 he started smoking cigars, and a decade later he found himself with a 10-cigarette a day habit.
"I put up that blog to make it difficult for myself to change my mind"
But still the 33-year-old New Yorker was in denial, convincing himself that, because he did not smoke as much as some, he did not really have a habit.
So, when he finally acknowledged that he did have an addiction, Jason was determined to quit in a very public fashion.
Going public
He launched a video blog to show the world that he had made the decision.
"I knew I was addicted and needed to stop, so I put up that blog to make it difficult for myself to change my mind," he said.
"I wanted all my friends and colleagues to know I was quitting to make sure I was successful.
"Failing publically is always worse than failing privately."
"I did not start it to motivate others, but am glad it is helping"
Jason said he chose to use video to record his blog to ensure people saw the real him.
"People say it is really motivating to read. I did not start it to motivate others, but am glad it is helping," he added.
No retreat
He had his last cigarette on 21 February and says there is now no turning back.
"I don't want to ever smoke another cigarette," he said.
"Before stopping I would have certain times when I had an urge to smoke. I would have an after-meal smoke, a before-you-go-to-bed smoke and a middle-of-the-day smoke.
"My wife really hated it. She would not kiss me after I had smoked, and for an hour after having a cigarette she would give me dirty looks.
"One day my wife put up a poster showing lungs. One half had clean lungs - she labelled them 'her lungs' - and the other one with black lungs, which she labelled 'my lungs'.
BLOG: DAY ONE
"She said she was going to put up other nasty lung cancer pictures - she really tried hard to make me stop smoking.
"She thought I would die, leaving her alone. It was very powerful, but not the reason I gave up."
Jason admits that in the end it was his pride that forced him to quit.
Taking over
A disciplined man who had set up two successful businesses, he knew he was allowing an addiction to take over his life.
He flew round the world giving talks about advertising or taking underwater photographs, but his first thought at each location was when or how he could get a nicotine fix.
In February he decided enough was enough.
He said: "I used to say smoking was not stronger than me, that is why I called my blog 'Stronger than this'.
"My wife always used to say to me 'you started really easily so you can give up easily', but it was a really powerful addiction."
Then one day he was in Los Angeles on business and being driven back to the airport coughing repeatedly.
"I rolled down the window and threw out my cigarettes," he said.
"I just said 'I am not going to let something control my life and be stronger than me'."
He admits he still has urges to smoke, but says he will not act on them.
"I am disgusted when I smell the smell of someone who has smoked, which I find really reassuring," he said.
Inspirational
Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, which is promoting Jason's blog on its site, said quitting smoking blogs can be inspirational.
"With more people using the internet than ever before, we think it is vital we respond through this medium to their need for information on all aspects of preventing heart disease, as it still remains the nation's single biggest killer.
"Blogs, podcasts, and message boards are all great ways to communicate with new audiences as well as existing ones."
Dr Attila Kardos, consultant cardiologist at Milton Keynes hospital, said quitting smoking, like Jason, could be a big health boost.
"One of the first questions I ask patients is whether they are a smoker, because it is one of the biggest risk factors in developing cardiac problems, furring of the arteries, increased risk of stroke and lung cancer," he said.
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