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Have a helpful hint or motivating thought to share? Tell us your story. Encourage others. Share strategies for quitting smoking. This area is for you.

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I have been smoke free for 23 days now. My mind was made up after my Father gave up his smoking habit; he was a smoker for over 50 years. I have smoked for 26 years. I can see myself having many of the same health problems my dad faces now if I continue to smoke. It hasn't been easy and there have been days that that’s all I think about, those days are getting less and less. Breathing sure feels good. I can take a breath now and not cough. When I was smoking I remember the heavy chest feeling all the time. It's totally gone now. Here’s to all of us for choosing long lives, clean air & extra money :) remember not 1 puff...ever!

Colleen from Wyoming

I've quit several times in the past for a couple of months here and there and none of them were cold turkey. This time I am quitting cold turkey and have truly decided that I am done with smoking. I think this time I'm so sure because I am sick with bronchitis and an infection and it's been two weeks and not getting much better. I am 37 and have smoked since I was 19. My mom quit cold turkey after 40 years of smoking and she never took another puff. I think cold turkey is the best way. If it's too easy you think oh that was easy I'll just have one this time because it's easy I can quit again. I am truly done this time no matter how hard it gets. It's only been a little over 12 hours and it hasn't been hard at all. Good luck and don't let this poison kill you. I can't believe it's even legal. Don't be a victim.

Anonymous

I am 29, and smoked my 1st cigarette at 15. I have to work hard just to smoke only 1 pack of cigarettes, but truthfully I smoke more. I want to quit, but I'm so scared of trying that I will actually break down in tears just thinking about it. That alone makes me too embarrassed to get help. Who am I to cry about quitting smoking?

Anonymous

I am 37 years old I have been a smoker for about 23 years +. I chose to quit smoking 7 days ago today. I smoked a pack or more everyday. The hardest part for me has been the mornings where I normally have my quiet time without children or any interruptions. It's just me, my coffee, and my cigarettes. I have to say I have always enjoyed smoking but I hate the effects it has on my health and my looks. I have always been told that I am a very beautiful woman. I want to stay that way. Good luck to everyone who is wise enough to quit. It is tough! But it is the right choice!

Anonymous from Texas

Quitting was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'd been a heavy smoker for many years, I quit on my 8th try at age 33. It was painful every day for a couple of years, but I've been "clean" 10 years now, and I can honestly say my life is absolutely better that I could have imagined because of it. Stay with it - just make it one more day - because it is so precious. My car is clean, my fingers aren't brown, my headliner isn't burnt, I'm not "shunned", my finances are in order, my health is great, I can run and play, and I'll be able to smell smoke on my kids if they dare experiment with this beast, and that's only the beginning. Hang in there - it really does get better.

Anonymous from Nebraska

I have been trying to quit for 5 days now. I have cut down from a pack a day to 3 or less cigarettes a day. I have two small children that deserve a mom. I know I can do it; it is just so much harder than I could ever imagine. I have been smoking since I was around 14 and I am now 27. The cravings are terrible, but I am trying my best.

Rachael from Mississippi

Today is day 10! Not even a puff. I have been a smoker for 37 years, starting at the tender age of 13, and I am now 50 years old. What a wonderful trait to pass along to my four children. They all smoke! I think showing them my strength in quitting will eventually get to them and they will follow. One already has, he is my "buddy quitter", which actually has made it easier. I have painful cravings at least 1,000 times a day, but somehow have been able to fight them off. My mind keeps playing tricks on me, always trying to get me to break down for just "one more smoke". To all those people who are counting the hours or counting the days, weeks, months, or years since their last smoke, my applause for you all. It is absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done.

Sheila from Florida

I want to quit. I am now 40 going on 41. I put my first cigarette in my mouth while in fifth grade and had smoked a little bit after. As I got older I added more, then I smoked when I drank, and eventually I smoked full-time. Later I quit a few times for a couple years, but still bummed one here and there. Now for the past two years I have been single and smoking a lot, especially when I drink. I can work all day and not have one, but then at about 5pm I start craving one bad. My lungs feel tight, I am short of breath, I have had a cough for almost 3 months, and I have been on 2 rounds of anti-biotics. Now I also get asthmatic. I am scared but I still smoke. I think I am trying to kill myself slowly. What am I doing and why am I not living and taking the risk of being sick or dying? I think I am more comfortable getting out of here then I am living. It is sad; all my friends except for the smokers are worried about me. What is it going to take I ask myself, a close call?

Rose from California

I have been smoke free for two days. I know that this is not a long time, but it seems like an eternity. I hate the cravings, they are long, and all I can think of is puffing, but I am trying to quit for my son, so I can be here for his life, not just mine. My husband has quit too. He has had a cough for like 3 months and it is kind of scary. I have noticed since I have quit that I have had a slight cough, and I have never had one. I guess that is my lungs clearing out. It is really hard; I just hope that I don’t relapse. Your comments give me inspiration! Keep them coming!

Marti from Florida

It is now day 14 of my smoke free life. I did have only 1 smoke the other day - I borrowed from my lawn guy. I have to stay away until the urges slow down some. I have stopped smoking several times in my 22 years of smoking. I am tired of something running my life; I am in charge of my health and not a stupid cigarette. The physical withdrawals are all gone now, so it is all mental from here. You have to stay in a positive mood and keep telling yourself that it will get better with each day you stay smoke free. If you slip do not just give up and continue smoking, throw it away and continue your smoke free plan and you will be proud of yourself again. Stay strong people and enjoy your smoke free life. You are not deprived, you can smoke anytime you want too, but you chose not to smoke. Have positive thinking without the desperation in your mind. Keep up the good work! You can do it! I am so proud of you!

Donna from Texas

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Content last updated November 1, 2006.

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