Preparing to Quit Smoking

To this day there are a few things I will always remember about smoking. First, I still clearly recall the day when I got out of the car in front of my parents house smoking a cigarette. I had been successfully hiding it for about a year. Busted. My dad sat down on the curb in front of the house and said, “So you got a pack of those coffin nails on you.” I said, “yes.” He said something like, “smoke the whole thing now. If you are going to be a smoker, smoke them now.” He hoped I would get sick and quit. I had picked up smoking from friends in of all places – nursing school. This was in the days smoking was allowed at the hospital in fact most of the nurses and doctors smoked at the nurses station when I was a student nurse.

Dad’s motivation did not work. I smoked for the next twenty-five years. I have been a successful non-smoker now for thirteen years. So I know the pain of smoking, coughing in the morning, smelling like smoke, health issues and the expense. There is hope and freedom as a non-smoker. I was very motivated to quit by the youth pastor at my church as well. I was working with the youth at the time and we were about to go on a service project trip to Belize. The youth pastor said that to be a good example for the youth I could not smoke on the trip. This was about five months before the trip. It was also about a month before my birthday. So I set my quit date as my birthday so I would never forget the day I quit smoking.

I also know the freedom that comes with quitting smoking! Let me encourage you. It can be done! You can be smoke-free for the rest of your life! I can tell you from first hand experience that the hardest part is making the decision to quit and the first several months after you quit. The urges get less and less as time passes. If you are ready to take the steps to quitting here are some tips that helped me. Please feel free to post comments with questions, successes and struggles. I will follow-up on any comments. Set a date that you plan to quit by. You will be more successful it you set that date for within 30 days. You are more likely to follow through if the “quit date” is soon.

Make a personal list of benefits to quitting smoking. Identify some motivators to quit smoking and write them down. I kept mine on the mirror and read it when I brushed my teeth. Keep this list where you will see it. Here is my list from all those years ago:

1. Better example for my patients and the youth at my church
2. Stop smelling like smoke
3. Save money
4. No more coughing or being short-of-breath
5. Avoid long term effects of lung disease, cancer and potential oxygen dependence when I get old
6. Save time by not taking “smoke breaks”
7. Overall better health for the rest of my life
8. I will lower my risk for stroke, cancer, heart disease, cataracts, wrinkles and early death.

I will follow-up with more information on quitting smoking. Quitting smoking is a process and one of the biggest positive life changes you can make. I will follow-up with more information on this positive life change over the next few blogs. Remember, feel free to leave comments or questions and I will provide answers and follow-up information.