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Preparation: Tell People You Are Going to Quit

by Andrea Fanning

, South Dakota
United States

I am 42 years old and have been smoking 2 packs a day for 25 years. I have never tried quitting because even the thought seemed pretty awful. It was getting harder to breath for me and I was slowing down, laying in bed longer in the mornings smoking and drinking coffee, not going to certain places because you can't smoke. My kids complaining about the smell and my little guy was coughing a lot. I had a few friends who quit and then my sister was a hopeless alcoholic. She quit drinking 3 years ago and I watched her struggle getting through day to day and sometimes minute to minute. All through this I would compare her drinking and quitting to my smoking. I have to give her most of the credit because I thought she was hopeless, by her stopping it gave me hope. I began to prepare myself. So for the past 2 months I started telling everyone how I was going to quit in November, this way I knew people would be hounding me and it would humiliate me if I didn't try. Then whenever I was having a smoke I would tell myself how terrible it was to have to smoke, how they stink, my breathing, my kids, and how I hate having cigerettes control my life and everything I do. Then my sister and I drove a load of stuff to Florida for my oldest son. We decided that on the way home we would quit when we hit the South Dakota border. We smoked like crazy that whole week. Coming home I didn't even let myself think that I couldn't. I was just telling myself I had no choice. So when I hit the border we stopped at a rest area and had a stupid little funeral for our best friend "cigerette" I lost a nephew a few years ago in an accident and did a lot of grieving, well this is what I compare my smoking to. So therefore looked at the cigerette as my best friend and no matter how bad I want one, it is gone and I can never have it back. It sounds really stupid but I tell you what, if a smoker thinks about it, that is how them cigerettes are. They are always there for you, to celebrate or grieve or whatever, therefore letting go is like your very best friend has died. This way of thinking helps me yet. I then created a little guy named Zoltar (he looks like Kizoo on the Flinstones). Zoltar sits on my shoulder and bugs me all the time. He says "just have one" and "you don't want to quit" and "you need your friend." I hit him, yell at him and talk to him all the time. It helps me and my kids love it because they see me hitting him and stuff. This is my story. It was one week yesterday and I am so proud of myself, I talk to Zoltar less now but he is still there. Last night I had smoking nightmares throughout the night but I am ready to fight and not smoke. Things are smelling better now and I am just so happy to have control over myself. I should note that I have been drinking just as much coffee as always, maybe even a little more. Sometimes when I really want a smoke I just go get a cup of coffee instead, it seems to help. My house is getting clean and I am doing more stuff to keep busy. I do say that on my dying day I am going to buy some cigerettes and smoke! That my little story P.S. The night I quit, we got half way through South Dakota, stopped at WalMart and bought patch's. I am using them and will continue too as directed. My sister has not smoked either but she isn't doing the patch. We are a lot of support to each other. Andrea