My life as a smoker
I have been around cigarette smoking all my life. I began smoking as a teen, and then at the age of 21, I quit for 11 and a half years. I took up smoking again and smoked until a little more than four months ago. I lived for smoking; it was enjoyable and social. The prices kept going up and up though, which fortunately helped me decide to quit.
Why and how I quit smoking
I quit smoking for health reasons and because of the cost of cigarettes. I didn't have enough money to support my smoking habit. Last November I stopped for 20 days, then my marriage broke up and alas, I started smoking again.
I stopped smoking four months ago and am still a non-smoker.
The state of Washington sends out nicotine patches or gum to help you quit...they do this free of charge. They also have quit smoking coaches you can talk to anytime. They are wonderful -- they really care and are dedicated to helping you succeed.
I used the 21 mg nicotine patch for two weeks, and then stepped down to 7 mg for a week. After that, I stopped using them. The patch really helped me.
Advice
- Cigarettes tasted rotten. I committed this to my memory so I would not think I was missing out on smoking.
- In preparation for my quit day, I would wait a hour after I got up before I went to smoke. I gradually went longer between smokes.
- Each day I realize I make the choice...not to smoke or to smoke.
- Reward yourself for no smoking. My husband bought us a HD TV.
