My life as a smoker
I tried smoking a cigarette for the first time when I was about 13 years old. I remember that it was just a cool thing and not something I would do on my own. When I was 15, I took a cigarette and sat on the roof of my house and thought, this is bad but there is a reason people do it. After that I was hooked.
I think I started smoking about a half a pack per day by 18 because at that age I could buy them. Over the years I have tried to quit here and there, and did have success for 8 months when I was 21 years old. I am now 28.
Why and how I quit smoking
The older I get, the more I realize that the novelty of smoking is gone and it is only going to kill me. I knew that this time would come and I would have to ultimately quit.
I am starting to think about having a family and my health into my 30's and 40's. So I decided to quit and this time it is do or die...there is no turning back. I am quitting cold turkey because I realized that the recent attempts to quit using nicotine replacement therapy only prolonged my physical addiction. I knew I would experience pain, but I realized that I had to feel it to remind me what it was doing to me and my body.
Advice
- I've had to face my true feelings and not numb myself with nicotine.
- I have always been a long distance runner, imagine that, but now I can run faster and longer!
- My body will be healthy to start a family once I am ready.
- Feeling my body withdraw from nicotine without any substitute really showed me how serious the chemical dependency is and what it does to your body. You become a prisoner to the nicotine because your body will lie to you and tell you that you absolutely need it to feel good.
- My clothes, hair, and other items that I have with me when I smoked smell good now!
- Basically I am learning how to live free.
Terry Martin, Smoking Cessation Guide, says:
Mkat1981 makes an important point that I would like to emphasize: While many of us start our 'smoking careers' thinking we're being cool, we all reach the same conclusion eventually. We're addicted to a substance that puts our lives at serious risk, and the odds of escaping the disease and death that follows nicotine addiction are never in our favor. The sooner we quit, the better, plain and simple.My warm congratulations go out to Mkat for quitting so young. I encourage her to add a healthy dose of support to her quit program via the online community here at About.com Smoking Cessation. This group of people quitting tobacco has helped countless people find lasting freedom from nicotine addiction.
