George,

As you know, addiction to tobacco is one of the hardest habits to break. The first thing I ask my patients that smoke is "do you want to stop?" If they say no, I tell them to let me know when they do. Well, you say you want to stop, but you can't. So, as others have told you get help and do it now!!!

Alcohol usage in a smoker increases the smokers chances of getting cancer by 50%. The alcohol dries the tissues in the mouth and they become more susceptible to the carcinogens in the smoke.

A couple of things you have written bother me. First of all a biopsy is not done to remove the cancer and if a biopsy reveals cancerous cells, then further surgery with wider margins is needed. You wrote that your cancer was removed by a biopsy. this doesn't sound right to me. My biopsy removed my cancer, too and although no cells were present at the margins of the surgical specimen, I still had about a 2 cm semicircular area of my tongue removed to be sure that clear margins were obtained.

Also, in your profile you wrote that your type and stage of cancer was leukoplakia. Leukoplakia is not cancer. Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is the most common type of cancer found in the oral cavity.

As David said, death from SCC is not a pretty thing. Get some help to stop smoking and drinking and do it. If your life is worth living, that should be motivation enough.

Good luck.

Jerry