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Women who smoke double their risk for developing coronary heart disease and increase by more than ten-fold their likelihood of dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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Smoking & How to Quit

Share Your Story

Smoking & How to Quit Home > Tools > Share Your Story

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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Hi, my name is Connie. I am on my second day of being smoke free. It has been very hard, but I know I will be able to get through it. All my friends and family smoke, so I will try to stay away until the cravings get easier. My sister had lung cancer about 4 years ago and had a lung removed. She now has a very hard time breathing whenever she does anything physical. She still smokes and I am very afraid for her. I quit when she became sick, but I started smoking again. This time I will succeed. I tried to persuade her to quit with me, but she said that cigarettes are her life! Cigarettes are your life, only if you let them be. It has helped me a lot reading all of your stories. I know that I am not alone with this fight. We will succeed!! Good Luck to everyone and thank you.

Connie

I have been smoke free for 4 weeks now. I started smoking when I was 18 and I am now 44. I have wanted to quit for awhile now, but always found the excuse to have one more, or quit after this weekend, etc. The last time I promised myself I would quit after a weekend was 4 weeks ago. I have been sick with a cough and bronchitis. I have never been sick from smoking before and it is scary. I lost my mom to COPD and grew up in a household of smokers. I wish that we had the education then that our kids have now. I am happy that I have quit and it increases the chances that my kids will not smoke. Hang in there. You can do it.

Anonymous

I started smoking in my teens and I am now 53 and feeling the harmful effects of my habit. I just put my cigarettes down five days ago and do not plan on ever picking them back up again. Even though it has only been five days I can feel myself breathe again. What an exhilarating experience! If you have a plan to quit smoking stick with it and don't ever take that first one again.

Anonymous from North Carolina

I am 46 years old, smoked for 33 years. Two packs a day. I have not smoked in 21 months. It was a tough road, I liked my cigarettes, but I like not being a smoker better. They are so bad for a person and before I started having serious health problems I quit. The key to quitting is never pickup that one cigarette because it is never just one. Everyday it got a little more bearable. I now can smell! I really like not being a smoker. I can tell if you are a smoker when you walk into a room now; I smell them. Just make it 6 months and the pain will be over. Just never have that next cigarette.

Anonymous from Texas

I run online business and a few web sites. I was referred to smoking by some of my friends a few years back and since that day I have been smoking. Smoking caused health problems and I could not focus on my business. I haven’t been able to completely quit smoking, but I have been smoking much less now. I think you only need to focus on stuff you like doing and you will lose this bad habit. Another thing that helped me was chewing gum so that’s a good way. Always keep gum in your mouth and eventually you will stop smoking.

Anonymous

It has been 35 hours and 7 minutes since my last smoke. I am 33 and have been smoking since I was about 11 or 12. I never thought I would stop smoking but I woke up on Sunday morning and told myself "I have had enough of this smoking and will not have another one." I almost feel like I am someone else. It is hard but I really don't want to smoke anymore so I just don't. I am looking forward to the 72 hour mark, that's when some people say the nicotine is out of your body and you don't want to smoke as often. Everyone hang in there it has to get easier and we will be healthier.

Mindy from New York

Those who can quit are lucky as they save themselves and their families. All the smokers know the impact of smoking. They have witnessed at least some people who have been the victims of smoking. Mostly the smokers want to quit but realize how difficult it is to give up the habit. This is often a fight with one own self, where if you win you gain a lot. Smokers need to think if they have the right to put their life at risk and in turn jeopardize their families just for a short-lived physical pleasure.

Anonymous

I'm 9 days smoke free. I feel stronger than I have in 2 1/2 years. I quit for 4 years many years ago and due to change in location and the fact everyone smoked around me, I picked the habit up. I knew it would be more difficult to quit the second time around. I did quit for six months until July 18, 2004 when I loss my mother that morning (long-term illness) and then my youngest son was killed in a car accident 5 hours later, so I regressed back to my old habit. Now two years later, I know how smoking has affected my health and I really want to be here with my husband and oldest son for as long as possible. Quitting smoking is very hard because it is attached to emotions, so I have to learn not use it as a crutch. I learned to just take it one day at a time. Looking out to future just brings on anxiety we don't need.

Barbara from North Carolina

Today is day 26 of being smoke free. I am 46 years old and I've been smoking since I was 15. People who have never smoked don't know how hard it is to quit. Let me just tell everyone out there to keep up the good work and be proud of yourself and don't stop trying.

Fred from Michigan

I am 42, and have been a 2 pack a day smoker for over 25 years. I want to quit but it's hard, I had my last cigarette at 2:30 pm today and it is now 5:00 and I want a cigarette. I have to have control. Wish me luck.

Lisa from Texas

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Content last updated November 28, 2006.

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