Tell Us Your Quit Smoking Story

Millions of people successfully quit smoking each year. Millions more across the world try but can’t sustain it. If you’ve successfully quit smoking, we and the thousands of people that visit our site each month want to know how you did it. Did you quit cold turkey? take a nicotine patch? pill? capsule? did you undergo hypnosis? aromatherapy? did you join a quit smoking support group? Tell us. We want to know. Your story – whether short or long – will help other smokers the world over.

Initial Thoughts on Green Smoke’s E-Cigarette – 7/21/10

I bought Green Smoke’s E-Cigarette last week. It’s the smoke-free, tar-free, and nicotine-free replacement for real cigarettes. There are a number of flavors from which to choose: Pipe tobacco, Tobacco M which is basically cigarette tobacco flavor, Menthol, Coffee, Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, or Apple. I smoke Marlboro Lights so opted for Tobacco M 6mg. It cost me $140, well worth the expense I thought considering cigarettes cost $5+ per pack.

The Electronic Cigarette package arrived within a few short days. The ordering process was pretty easy.

Smoking the Electronic Cigarette

I have to say I was quite impressed at the way the Electronic Cigarette smoked. The battery comes a little bit charged so I could test it out before I charged it for real. When I inhaled, actual smoke came out of the filter tip which has a punctured hole in the middle. It had a different flavor than my usual Marlboro Lights but it was still enjoyable – almost a sweet, woody, aromatic flavor. It was not as strong as the Marlboro Light cigarette but it was sufficient enough (the literature states that 6mg is equivalent to a Marlboro Light). I smoke about a pack a day and the charge lasted, as they said it would, the entire day before I had to recharge it. The white cigarette part is a tad longer than normal which is good because, although light, the Electronic Cigarette is not as light as a regular cigarette. So, you can’t let it dangle too long from your lips without grabbing it with your teeth to prevent mouth fatigue and it dropping out. The cigarette length allows you to hold it while smoking. I didn’t mind that although it took some getting used to.

The good news is that I’m smoking less regular cigarettes and the Electronic Cigarette is healthier without all of the bad chemicals. I’ve tried smoking it in the house – just a couple of puffs – and the odor doesn’t stick. Within a few seconds, you’d never know I had just exhaled smoke. It does feel as close to a real cigarette as I’ve ever experienced. I inhale real smoke and exhale real smoke.

The start kit comes with two cigarettes so you can be smoking one while charging the other. The packaging is nice – small green box that you can fit your hands around. It comes with 5 filters which are supposed to last one week each.

 

Ashis B on 5/31/10

Thanks again for the well made effort to perceive the extent of damage for our future generations. I have note the facts and figures to distribute it to my local educational institutions to build up a local anti-tobacco campaign. I would love to have such a statistical database for India only. I’m afraid more fearce facts would come out.

mehmudah on 5/27/10

If only I knew.

Every single time I see someone smoking, I am captivated by this mad urge to wrench the cigarette from their fingers and clasp around it my own. I long for that familiar sensation of having inhaled – but every single time, I fight this urge and look away determinedly. It’s been six years since I quit smoking and it’s still an ongoing battle.

The first time I put a cigarette to my lips was in the company and at the persuasion of people I once called ‘friends’. While others sputtered on their first drags, I found it curiously easy to inhale deeply. Then something strange happened – an inexplicable sense of calm and joy coursed through my veins as a remarkable stupor overcame me. That night I hid the remaining cigarettes in my pocket.

That began probably one of the darkest chapters of my life. In the dead of the night I would sneak up to the terrace and in silence and solitude I would smoke away my problems, my fears, my uncertainties. At all times, I kept strong mint candies and gums on myself, and made sure my clothing smelled of anything but cigarettes and unwanted gifts of perfumes in bad taste would do just fine. The day would pass in a lull as I would eagerly await the night.
Pretty soon I was working out ways to smoke during the day too. I smuggled my packs home covered in at least three carrier-bags hidden in different things. I suddenly realized my cigarettes were finishing faster than usual. With a pang it dawned on me – that I was addicted.

“Am I really addicted? Surely, I can quit when I want, right? It’s just a bit of harmless fun. Everyone does it, and it looks so damn cool,” I remember thinking to myself, even as I was mortally afraid someone would find out.

Alas, I was sadly mistaken. I was fully and truly hooked.

Between making every effort to keep my family from finding out and acquiring (and consuming) cigarettes, I had little time for anything else and predictably, my grades at school slipped. To make matters worse, the maid who cleaned up my room commented on the strange smell in my room as well as on my clothes. Before however, any action could be taken, something wonderful happened. We set off for a minor pilgrimage or Umrah.

While in the sacred lands of Al-Haram, I found the perfect way to quit and make my repentance. It was around this time that I learnt the nitty-gritty on smoking and would like to share some facts with you.

Smoking reduces life expectancy by 7 – 8 years. That means each cigarette shortens the life of the smoker by around 8 minutes. 1 out of 5 deaths in developed nations can be attributed to tobacco products.

Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are highly toxic and over 40 of which are known to cause cancer. There is no safe ‘low tar’ cigarette and no safe level of smoking.

The second-hand smoke your family is exposed to puts them at risk for a number of diseases such as lung-cancer, nasal sinus-cavity cancer, asthma and ear-infections.

Smoking stinks – both literally and figuratively. Your mouth, your clothes, even your hair smells awful! And your skin wrinkles faster.

A smoker is 10 times more likely to develop lung cancer. Heavy smokers are 15 to 25 times more at risk than non-smokers. 85% of all male cases and 77% of female cases of lung cancer are related to smoking. There are 445 new cases of lung cancer stemming from smoking every single day (That’s 1 every 3.2 minutes)!

Male smokers may produce less sperm and their sperm may have more abnormalities than that of non-smokers. Women who smoke are more likely to have decreased fertility, premature babies, babies with low birth-weight and miscarriages.

I returned from Umrah with some serious resolve. I was never going to smoke again. I was greeted back home by an unfinished pack of ciggys stashed away in the bottom drawer of my bedside table. I would quit, but tomorrow. Just a last farewell drag wouldn’t hurt. I wildly hunted around for a match-box or a lighter, excited and longing to smoke. Perhaps the Lord destined it so, but I could find nothing to light it. Suddenly I realized what was happening, and before temptation got the better of me, one by one, I cut up each remaining cigarette and with a sigh, flushed them down the loo. And I haven’t smoked since.

However, the fact remains that I’m constantly fighting a wild craving for just one – one smoke. But so far, I’ve held on to a resolve which I hope will strengthen with this piece of writing.

To all those young people wanting to try out smoking because it appears sexy and cool (but is NOT either) I have just two words for you, uttered with earnest beseech and a bottomless pit of regret for the mistake I once made.

Please. Don’t.

BKuhnes on 4/29/10

That was an incredibly good read. I recently subscribed to your feed.

Thanks BK – I’m glad you’re finding this information useful. We started Quit Smoking Hub years ago as an educational portal aimed at smokers thinking about quitting, wanting to quit smoking, even friends and loved ones of those that smoke. We were asked for our opinions subsequently on the best smoking aids to use to help smokers quit so we did our research and came up with a handful of what we’ve heard are great options – from pills to capsules to aromatherapy to eBooks. It seems to have done well. But, in the meantime, we still felt something was missing – and that was an interactive vehicle that relayed the smoker experience in attempting to quit, the struggles, pitfalls and subsequent successes. Our aim was to support smokers and to assist them with stories, anecdotes and advice from others that were attempting to quit. So, this is a big giant thank you for taking time out of your day to tell us that you find our information helpful.

From Dinah on 4/23/10

I was ready to come on here and complain that cigarette smoking does not prevent allergies and then I reread what was said. I believe you’re absolutely correct. I quit smoking 2-15-10 after smoking for 40 years and I have had the worst allergies ever! It is now 4-23-10 and I have had sinus congestion or infection twice and it is extremely bad. It comes on quickly I live in Las Vegas, NV and this is the worst year they’ve ever had. I never suffered with this before. I think sometimes the internet tells you what they think you want to hear and or sell. The truth is mottled. I still won’t go back to smoking but I think there should be some validation to what I’m and probably many others are going through so that we understand and know the facts. Thank You

Dinah – thanks for your experiences. Congratulations on quitting – over two months now for you! The allergy part of quitting smoking is almost counter-intuitive. I understand your initial doubts. Do you have any advice for eliminating – or at least minimizing – the effects of your allergies?

From Colin in Ireland on 4/19/10

i have been off cigarettes only 6 days now and already feel the benefits, it hasn’t been easy but the feeling gets better every day i have also started a blog at colinthebronc.com which i find has helped me greatly im not looking to advertise it but maybe you will take a look. if it helps only one person quit then it has worked

From a Grandmother on 3/25/10

I started smoking when I was in high school because, like most people, I thought it was cool and made me part of the crowd. When I met my wonderful husband, he was a smoker too, so that gave me even more of a reason to hang on to my crutch. Once my kids grew up and moved out on their own, I experienced that horrible “empty nest syndrome”, and puffed away even more.

When our grandson was born, we followed our son’s request and never smoked around him, but would run and hide outside no matter what the weather conditions were to have that forbidden cigarette. I remember well that cold winter day when I slipped outside on the patio in hopes of having a cigarette. I will never forget the look upon his face or his little voice as he said,

“Nana, come in, it’s cold, you get sick.”

That image of my grandson stood out in my mind and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake it. Finally I went to my husband and told him what my feelings were and asked him if he’d be willing to quit smoking with me. He readily agreed, and here we are today over 3 months free of that horrible addiction.

From Shaun on 3/22/10

I think quitting smoking is one of the most important steps a person can take to improve their life. That said, I had help from a small, easy-to-read book, called “Life After Cigarettes: Why Women Smoke AND How to Quit, Look Great, and Manage Your Weight.” What made this book different for me (from everything else I’ve tried) was (It’s written by a University of Michigan professor) it’s strictly for women and details the best time of the month to stop, why it’s different for women, and how to keep the weight (mostly) off. Lots of us smoke because of the weight. Well, I quit with the help of this book–it was very, very empowering.

From Dave in Atlanta on 3/11/10

When my wife got pregnant, I got serious about finding a way to stop smoking. I mean, it was one thing when it was just my health I was risking – I always went outside to smoke, so that my wife wouldn’t get second hand smoke. But now that we have a little one on the way, it’s different. I want to be around to see her grow up, get her first tooth, get married, all of those things. I don’t want to miss out, so I’m going to stop smoking. Better for my health, better for hers, and better for my wife’s.

Dave, good reason to quit smoking. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. But, elaborate for us…how did you quit smoking? Did you use pills, capsules, gum, lozenges, hypnosis? Did you do it cold turkey?