Quit Stories

Stories from Vermonters Who've Quit

"I am a nurse. I didn't quit smoking when I was pregnant twice. Shame on me. I didn't quit smoking when I watched my father die. I didn't smoking when I was diagnosed with ashma. I didn't quit smoking when my son was diagnosed with asthma. I didn't quit smoking when I cared for patients with lung cancer and copd. I did quit smoking the day after I turned 39 years old. I don't know why March 7th was the day. There was not one new reason just 100 of the same old reasons. It just hit me, I needed to quit. I started wellbutrin and nicotine gum and here I am. The first three days were the most difficult! I used to smoke two packs a day and would wake up in the middle of the night to smoke and now I don't. Those first three days were the worst. If I can get through three bad days anyone can. I take it one day at a time and I hope I never start again."
Laura, Bennington

 

"I started smoking 30 years ago. My whole family smoked so it couldn't be bad right? Wrong! My Mother, Father and Grandmother all died of lung cancer. I am now 47 years old and have decided that I don't want to suffer the way they did. I was with my mother when she passed away and it was the hardest thing I could ever watch someone go through. I don't want my 3 daughters, husband or 2 grandchildren to have to go through watching me die of a horrible disease, in a horrible way! 30 days without a cigarette, and many more days of living ahead! I couldn't be happier:)"
Janet, Vergennes

"I started smoking at the age of fifteen, and am now 30. I just woke up one day last week and decided that when the cigarettes I had in my possession (which was about 5 packs) were gone, I was quitting for good. I was about a pack-and-a-half a day smoker, so I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I just have to do it. I couldn't breathe anymore, was a terrible wheezer, my heart was beating irregularly..all that good stuff. To top it all off, I had a great singing voice, and am aching to have that back again!!! So...it's been 4 days on the patch, and I still haven't taken one drag of a cigarette. Let me tell you, it is the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life!!! Sooo worth it, though. Even though it's only been 4 days, I can already breathe, taste, smell+sing a lot better...I hope I can keep up the good work...Good luck to every person reading this...believe me, if I can do it, so can you!!!"
Crystal, Underhill

"I started smoking in 1999 when I was 18. On average, I smoked at least a pack and a half a day. Every winter I was sick with bronchitis and felt like I couldn't breathe half the time. My father made a deal with me in the beginning of 2003 that I couldn't quit smoking by August 1st. If I did he would buy me a new car before I headed off to college. I called 1-800-QUIT-NOW and decided to take part in the counseling sessions over the phone. I wish I could remember the ladies name that I had because she was wonderful! She made me feel like I could accomplish anything. We talked, went over tips and finally I smoked my last cigarette on July 28, 2003. The first day I felt like I had it all under control, the second day I laid in bed and cried the whole day...it was the hardest thing I ever did. They say it takes only 3 days for the nicotine to leave your body and the rest is just changing a habit. It will be 7 years this July that I have not had a cigarette. There are still days where I think 'Man, I could go for a cigarette' but I know what I went through to stop and I have gained too much to turn back! Oh, and my dad never did buy me a car...I settled for cash for college instead. But, he gave me a healthier lifestyle and for that I will always be grateful. Thanks, Dad. :)"
Jessica, Burlington

"My dad had cancer two years ago from smoking cigarettes. It spread from his lungs to his pancreas, liver and brain. Thankfully he is alive but he still smokes. My mom had a heart attack three years ago due to smoking and she still does. And now it's all down to me. I'm 19 years old and have been smoking since I was 16, but it's so hard to quit and I wonder what will happen to me now?"

Stacy, Vermont

 

"I've been smoking cigarettes since I was only 9 years old. Just yesterday I was told that I have lung cancer directly caused from excessive tobacco. To keep my oxygen levels in my blood barely above 92% (normal is 98-100%), I have to walk around with oxygen all the time.  I'm the only college student who carries oxygen around. Cigarettes have ruined my life."

Joe, Burlington

 

"I started smoking at 17 to fit in with friends and smoked until age 30. I made a New Years resolution 1986 to quit and stuck with it (cheating a few times in 1988). Planning a pregnancy really helped motivate me, I did not want to smoke while pregnant. I hope my kids never start, they haven't yet... My husband quit 20 months ago, I am so proud of him!"

Jessica, Sudbury

 

"Hi, my name is Anthony. I've been smoking since I was 12 years old, 2 packs a month, sneaking them from my Mom and Grandfather. My son is my motivation. He goes around saying 'Guess what? My dad doesn't smoke anymore!' If you really want to do it, you can do it."

Anthony, Brattleboro

 

"My dad was a WWII 'Lucky Strike Soldier.' He started smoking to counter the stress of war and gore.  He smoked two-packs-a-day until he was 60, when his nephew and namesake, also a smoker, died of cancer.  My dad died of lung cancer at 70.  He quit too late."

Tim, Charlotte

 

"I quit smoking a year ago on Mother's Day. I had tried to quit many times; I think I actually lost track of how many times. I started smoking in college, sort of socially, which is kind of a joke because it turned into an addiction by the time I'd finished college. It's been over a year, but the interesting thing is I can't really imagine going back to smoking now. As far as I'm concerned, I'm done smoking. And that's incredible to me. I don't compulsively have to be the person going out the door to sneak in a quick smoke. I'm really glad that's not me anymore."

Heather, Montpelier

 

I started smoking at 11 years old, thinking I was cool for starting. I am now 27 years old and I have severe asthma and chronic bronchitis. The doctors say that I will have an oxygen tank by the time I am 30 years old. I am so scared that I will not be around to watch my kids grow up. My breathing is awful, I have to wake up in the middle of the night to take my inhalers because I am wheezing so bad and can't breath. I wish I never started smoking it was the worst thing that I could of ever done to myself.

 

Christa, Essex Junction

 

"I didn't have faith that my boyfriend or I could quit. We had been happily smoking for over 6 years. We decided to "try" together, and it was very tough! However, I joined VermontQuitnet.com and...I decided after a couple days of not smoking that I wasn't going to be another statistic of tobacco. It's been two months for the both of us, and we can't believe it! Not one puff in two months. Never again will I smoke tobacco. My life is so much better without it!"

Julia, Shelburne

 

"If everything they say about second hand smoke is true then my body has actually never been without smoke. My mother smoked while she was pregnant. My father also smoked. Our house was a cloud of smoke all the time and it is no surprise that I started smoking at age 8. Daily by the time I was 10 and a pack a day for the last 40 years. My dad died from all smoking related health issues. My mom is still alive but has had open heart surgery due to her smoking. Unfortunately I also have some smoking related health issues. Osteoporosis,polyps on my vocal chords and COPD. This is my very first day and I feel really good and strong. I know I can do this. I know I deserve to do it."

Cheryl, Post Mills

 

"I was up to 3 packs (cigarettes) per day in 1993 and decided to quit...and was smoke free until 2003, when I had some issues in my life. I started with 1 cigar on the golf course, and over the next 3 years the quantities grew to where I became a...(regular) cigar smoker by 2005. The moral is, regardless of what you may hear, cigars are just as addictive as cigarettes, and I presume pipes and smokeless tobacco. So, if you find yourself thinking as I did....DON'T!"

Gerry, Waitsfield

 

"I quit two years ago, on the 'anniversary' of my divorce. I figured it was the last bit of that relationship I let go of. Then last Thanksgiving I slowly started up again. I bummed one here or there and before I knew it 'Marlboro Lights' just slipped out of my mouth as I stood there in line, paying for gas one day. They don't taste as good this time. I can't watch those PSA's on TV to stop kids from smoking, I feel ashamed, almost. It's a terrible feeling, to need something that you know in your head is just BAD for you. Then just weeks ago someone lay a newspaper open in front of me. On that page was an article about the Great American Smoke Out...an annual thing, I guess. I actually read it, and saw the phone # 1-877-YES-QUIT (937-7848). So, I called. I guess it's time. I know it's time. I am ready, ready just to say 'No, I don't smoke'."

Liz, Newport

 

"I've been smoking since I was thirteen and I smoked heavily for all of these years. At age 43 I suffered a brain aneurism directly related to smoking. At 44 years of age I'm disabled and have limited use of my left side and work very hard every day to get my brain to reconnect to my left side. If you are wondering what this is like, safety pin your left sleeve to your pants and try to get through the day. I can't even tie my shoes. I feel better since quitting. I can feel my lungs healing and food tastes so good."

Dawn, Wolcott

 

“We took our grandson to a family function and I wasn’t out there five minutes trying to round up this active five-year-old and I was winded to the point where I was sweating and my heart was racing. It was a scary wake-up call for me. I had a crippling addiction.

I quit smoking eight months ago. And now it feels wonderful to have quit.”

Sharon, Saint Johnsbury

 

 "Throughout college I smoked cigarettes and used smokeless tobacco, or 'dip.' I never considered myself a real smoker, more of a social smoker, or one of those 'I only smoke when I drink' people. But there I was smoking after every meal, in the car, and basically chain-smoking when I went out. The moment of truth came after I left college, and starting working. I would come home, sit in front of the tv and either smoke or dip. I started to feel anxious, worthless and unhealthy. I decided to take up running as way to get in shape, and feel happier. I tried being a 'running smoker' but it just didn't work. Eventually, the smoking became an obstacle, so I gave it up. It helped to replace the time I spent smoking with something I really enjoyed doing and made me feel good. I realized that I could either be healthy or a smoker, not both."

Jeff, Burlington

 

"I began smoking when I was only 13 years old. At first it was quite seldom, but it didn't take long to become hooked. Before I knew it, my mother was buying my cigarettes for me. I guess she figured she smoked and probably felt a little responsible for me starting up the "habit." When I became pregnant I was able to quit. But as soon as I had my daughter I started right back up again. I had suffered some trauma during my youth and feel I numbed it with the use of tobacco and other substances. I finally became so fed up with smoking that they began tasting awful, made me tired, and gave me headaches. I quit on my own seven years ago. I'm now 39 years old. My two quits were for two years a piece. So I smoked for ??? 15 years! My husband's father died from a brain tumor. He was a very heavy smoker. My grandmother died from cancer that had metasticized throughout her body. My father had colon cancer, but they caught it in time. My sister died in April of 2004 from cancer, she was only 47! All of them had smoked. Quitting was THE BEST thing I ever did for my health. I can breathe, I can smell, I can taste, I don't smell like an a ashtray, I'm not harming "innocent bystanders" and most of all, I'm physically fit again. I don't get winded just walking or jogging. I feel like a SUPER WOMAN. I love my kids, my husband, my granddaughter, my family, and most of all myself. Because if I don't take care of myself, who will? No one can, but me! In respecting all living things, I respect myself!"

Rowena, Juneau, Alaska

 

"My mother has been a smoker since I can remember. I don't like to think about health issues - thankfully, she is happy and healthy and I pray she'll never get sick. I will note, however, that she used to be a very beautiful woman. She still is beautiful to me, but when I look at her now, she looks so much older than other women her age. Her skin has lost its beautiful glow that it once had, and now, I'm sorry to say, it's quite grey. I would never tell her that - I know she can see it when she looks in the mirror. I smoke a cigarette every now and then, and like I said - I hate thinking about getting sick. So instead, to keep myself from smoking more, I try the vain approach and remind myself that if I like the way I look now, smoking will certainly not keep me looking that way."

Arielle, Burlington