How much time must pass since my last cigarette before I'm considered an ex-smoker?

A little over a month ago, rather than trying yet again either to go cold turkey or gradually step down the number of cigarettes I had each day, I joined a smoking cessation program offered through Indian Health Services. It sounds all programish, but really, it was just two meetings of a Marine medical guy (he never said he was a doctor) lecturing. The first was an "educational" Dangers of Smoking thing, physiological reactions to smoking, and also discussed Brain Things (the role of neurochemicals in addiction). The second was to discuss the aids we were being given to help us stop smoking, and was much more educational than the first.We were given patches (that I never used) and Zyban.

On the fourth day of the Zyban, I suddenly dropped from a pack a day to one cigarette a day. At that rate, it took me a week to finish off the pack, and I haven't had a cigarette since. It took a few more days before I stopped having periodic cravings, which were easy to ignore if I did something, anything else. After that, I needed another week to break myself of old habits (like reaching for a cigarette while "medding" during Everquest, after reading a particularly thought-provoking article online, in restaraunts while waiting for the food to arrive). Since then, I've no desire to smoke and no cravings of any kind, even when I'm around other people who are smoking. It seems that the program was successful for me. Yippee.

(The Zyban has had other effects, all positive, though I'm still mulling over what they mean exactly in light of the Brain Things discussed in the second meeting. I'm thinking I should speak with a physician to find out if I may be… a little off, but until then, I'm going to enjoy being my old, fidgitey self again)

Anyway, I'm not saying things like "It's been one week, 4 days since I last had a cigarette." I've lost track of how many days it's been. I don't think about how much money I'm saving, how my clothes don't reek of smoke, or that, Hey! I'm not coughing up icky, phlegmy stuff anymore! I no longer think about Not Smoking, and that's what makes me an ex-smoker.

So I'm going to go celebrate with lots of booze and cocaine.