One year is a significant milestone for people who have quit smoking or using any other form of tobacco. Read the accounts of those who have reached this point. Their lives have changed in so many positive ways, and the benefits continue to unfold.
Open heart surgery convinced Walt that he was going to quit smoking, once and for all. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, and the leading cause of death caused by smoking. Smoking is hard on the heart.
"After 20 years of smoking (yes I started at way too early an age), I was resolved to the fact that I would be smoking until it took the life from me."
"I started smoking when I was 20. I remember making myself smoke because I thought it was something I needed to do. I recall a close friend at the time saying to me "Artie, why are you smoking? You look stupid." If only I would've listened."
"Smoking was associated with almost all my feelings, thoughts, action and even sleep! It was the center part of my life and my first love."
"I was afraid that my life was in danger and that I’d permanently damaged my greatest tool as a teacher...my voice."
"I never really thought about quitting, and didn't start worrying until the information began to come out about the medical links to smoking. Even then, it didn't worry me enough."
"I credit most of my success on something that I was denying for years, that my smoking was just a bad habit and not an addiction. I used to avoid new quitters at all costs and would change the tv channel at the first sign of a non-smoking add or NRT. Plain old denial."
"I promised my kids I would quit when I was 50 and I would be 51 on my next birthday, July 4th."
"If you truly want to quit smoking, you can. It takes drive, desire, and dedication. If you have those, you can quit."
"Quitting smoking is a process. I know that that there is no one ultimate “arrival”, but rather a whole series of arrivals through time...little victories...moment to moment...day to day...week to week...month to month...and without doubt, year to year."
"I had the willingness to quit smoking. I definitely had the desire and the determination...more than any other quit attempt. What I lacked was education. I didn’t understand what was going on with my emotions and my body."
"On October 13, 2004 I took a step that has changed my life. I somehow summoned the strength and courage to throw out the cigarettes that had accompanied me everywhere I went for twenty years."
"I was sure I'd be the last person on the planet to still be smoking. I was sure I could never quit. Every birthday I began to feel more depressed and the self-hate I felt about smoking was beginning to affect every aspect of my life."
"I would always see the saying “it gets better.” At first, I hated that saying. I felt awful - if this was what it felt like to quit smoking, how in the heck was this going to get better?"
"Today marks a new beginning for me. I’ve done something that I never believed was possible. You see, one year ago I stopped smoking. This was my birthday present to me."
"We wish with all our hearts, that you can avoid any lung or other health problems by ceasing to smoke. We would hate to think where we might be if we'd kept on smoking."
"NEVER, EVER stop remembering why you quit or why you want to stay quit. Those reasons will get you through almost anything."
"Quitting smoking is easy. Staying that way can be a real challenge. But I have learned the secrets to success. It’s about body, mind and spirit."
"The early days of my quit were by far the most difficult. Conquering the physical dependence on nicotine is not easy (he said, preaching to the choir)."
On August 5, 2006, I had one last cigarette that I hoped and prayed with all my heart would be the last cigarette of my life.
"Today, I am so proud of having quit smoking for one full year. Here are some techniques that I used to help me get through the tough days in the beginning and not-so-beginning of my quit."
"Without a doubt, the most important thing in determining your success is your attitude, or how you approach and move through your quitting process. You can do all of the planning in the world, have all the aids, all the support, etc., but if your heart isn't in it, you will fail."
"I had been smoking on and off (mostly on) for forty-five years. In 1985 I quit smoking through the SmokeEnders program. At that time I was a three pack a day smoker. I didn't smoke for twelve years and I offically considered myself a non-smoker."
"Before I began this significant voyage twelve months ago, I never would have believed I could attain my ultimate goal."
"Reflecting back on this past year, is to look back at a year of transformation. Little did I know when I made the decision to quit smoking, what a profound effect it would have on my entire life and who I am."
"When I think about how amazing things have become since I quit smoking, I realize that my entire life has changed for the better. I can't point out one thing here or there that has improved...literally everything has."
"Quitting smoking is more than just not smoking, it’s changing how you think about your life and its quality and potential, about being an addict, understanding the addiction. Pulling out the real you under the fog and taking good care of that “you”."
"People ask if I quit smoking cold turkey or did I use a quit aid. I tell them my quit aid for the first week or two was a debilitating illness brought on by 50 years of smoking."
Larry (LBONN) shares how it feels to reach one year smoke free: "I made the decision to permanently cease smoking because it is my desire to live the remainder of my life in the "best possible health"."
"I hear the newbies crying for help day after day, asking when it will get better. In my opinion, it depends on your ATTITUDE!"
"For anyone who is just quitting,
YOU CAN DO IT! What helped me most was that I really wanted to quit, so I had the willpower to do it, and also the determination to stay quit."
"Not smoking is the nicest thing I’ve ever done for myself – and so many people say how much better I look. My skin is clearer and my face uncreases more quickly in the morning!"
"I started smoking at the tender age of 16. Everyone in my family smoked; both my parents and my three older sisters, so I guess I was doomed, particularly back in the '70's, when smoking was seen as a sign of "maturity"."
"Unbelievable. I truly never thought I would see this day. In honor of my one year smoke-free milestone, I went running for an hour and a half this morning, the longest I've ever gone."
"My brother passed away in 1994 from lymphoma, a form of cancer. One day toward the end he looked at me with a sad, frightened, pleading look and asked me to quit smoking. That look haunted me for a long time. But I did not quit."
From May: "As a smoker, I felt like such a big hypocrite. I was ashamed that I was so hooked. I hated that having to plan the next fix. I hated the sneaky shopping trips for “supplies”. I hated the withdrawals when I was forced to do without for an extended period of time."
"Fourteen years and more than 10,000 packs later, I decided that I WOULD NOT be a slave to my addiction any longer."
"I think the most important benefit is not the money saved, or the clothes not ruined, or the lack of damage done to property or even that we smell better(although all of that is a huge benefit). It is peace of mind."
"I started my journey in January 2004, determined that I was going to be a non smoker. I was sick of being sick, terrified of what I was doing to my body by continuing to smoke, but also absolutely terrified to let go of my 'good friend' nicotine, who had been there for me through so much."
"If you're thinking about quitting - please do it. You can do it. I breathe better, I don't cough anymore, I smell great...and I might add I've gained a grand total of four pounds which I can live with."
"I look back and remember how my mind tricked me into thinking the oddest things; for instance, I got depressed at thinking I'd never ever again have another smoke. I also wondered what on earth I would do now, now that I couldn't smoke. What else fun was there to do?"
"I don't ever want to go back to the bondage that I was in before, because freedom is so much better!"
"There was a time, and no so long ago, that I thought I would always smoke. I worried each and every day about what I was doing to my body and how I was shortening my life, but still I continued to smoke."
"Try. It’s a word we use a lot. For many things, trying is all that counts. For this terrible addiction of cigarette smoking, trying just doesn’t cut it."
"It's been a wild but fantastic year. I've grown sooo much! I've learned so many things about myself in addition to learning how to live a healthier, smokefree lifestyle."
"Around my fifth month, I finally found the peace I had heard so much about. Today, smoking is no longer an option."
"I hated smoking...I hated the way it had taken control of my life. I hated it because it robbed me of my complexion, my taste for good food, my sense of smell, my health, my mind, my teeth."
"I didn't really start this journey by choice, but by necessity. Last May I had pneumonia (my 3rd case in 2 years) and was literally wasting away to nothing...I weighed a total of 98 pounds."
"One year ago today I became a grownup...finally. I stopped making excuses about why I couldn't quit. I'm not putting my life on the line for a smoke anymore."
When Terri quit smoking and began the work of shedding nicotine addiction, smoking cessation opened a up a new world for her.
"Cessation has taught me patience, faith, and belief in myself. It has also taught me in a very real way to be accepting and how to let go."
"I remember reading those milestone posts when I was a newbie and couldn't even imagine writing a "It's my 1-year anniversary" post. I never thought I'd make it. NEVER. So, take heart newbies."
"Smoking didn't just hurt my health, it took time from my daughter, my husband, my friends, my responsibilities, my sleep, my eating, my shows, and of course from my exercising capacity."
"One year ago, a few minutes before midnight, I sat on the step in my garage puffing away on what would be my last cigarette ever. With sheer determination and the help of Wellbutrin and this forum, my journey began."
"Prioritize quitting, come here often for support, and make sure you pamper yourself silly, and talk yourself into a positive mindset about remaining quit."
