I started smoking in my foolish teenage years, and it wasn’t long before I became addicted, and smoking became a huge part of my life. At first it didn’t bother me, as everyone was doing it, but over the years I started to notice that my life was revolving around my smoking. I didn’t go anywhere or do anything without a plan as to when I would be able to have a cigarette. Looking back, I realize that smoking dictated a lot of my activities, and I sacrificed meetings with friends and long trips if I couldn’t find ways to smoke.
Over the years – 37 to be exact – I tried a number of methods to quit smoking, and was successful for different amounts of time. I knew that I was battling a serious addiction, and it was making it hard for me to quit but I never gave up. I knew I wanted to be smoke-free for myself, my family and to reclaim my life. I worked with my physician to determine a quit plan and used the knowledge from my past quit attempts to finally quit for good. One thing that worked well for me was to tell my friends and family of my intention to quit and encouraged them to support me. I also kept a reminder of why I wanted to quit close beside me, which for me was a picture of my grandchildren, who I wanted to be sure I was around to spend time with as they grew up.
I am now smoke-free and I feel fantastic! I am very proud that I have been able to quit for good, and I know that I don’t need to smoke. My husband is still a smoker, and even when I am around him, I am happy to say that I don’t succumb to temptation. If you are trying to quit smoking, the best advice I can give is to keep trying until you are successful – and you will be successful – I did it and so can you.