TESTIMONIALS
Find these and others testimonials at IDAHO QUITNET.COM, an online resource for smoking cessation help and information.
SpecialKJackson
(Idaho, USA - Member Since 7/8/2007)
My Quit: I started smoking at 18 and told myself that I would quit before my 25th birthday. Well, I am now 26 and am finally doing it!
I am quitting for me, my husband (who is quitting with me), my beautiful step-daughter (who is so proud), our future children, and every other smoker out there who thinks they can't do it!
If I can do it you can do it! The Q has been a source of strength for me and without it I never would have made it through this far.
So come on in, make some friends and enjoy a happy, healthy, smoke free life, you will love it here!
Advice: Whenever you feel like having just one think back to the first week of your quit, I guarantee you won't want to go through that again! (back to top)
idahojoey
(Idaho, USA - Member Since 4/4/2006)
My Quit: Today is my second month without smoking to the day. I am taking Chantix, a medication specialized to help me quit. I have a craving everyday however the med helps to 'kinda cut the crave in half'.
I could pick up right now and smoke but because of the meds, I have the control — not nicotine. Chantix works on the nicotine receptor sites. It is $100 a month — same a person would spend on a carton of cigs.
3 members of my family have died with COPD and emphasema. I don't want my mother to do the same because of second hand smoke.
Advice: Chantix takes the edge off, however, you need to really make a commitment and not want to smoke. (back to top)
Interview with Tara
Like most smokers, Tara started in her teens. Through college her smoking was intermittent. Later she became a “secret smoker” and that continued for 18 years.
She tried quitting several times. Whether for a month, 7 years, or one year — the quitting was easy. Staying tobacco-free was hard. Finally, she made the decision not to start again.
Following through with that decision proved no easy task. A big part of her success had to do with changing some of her other habits. “I liked to smoke when I read, drank coffee, or went out drinking with friends,” Tara says. Drinking and smoking turned out to be a real obstacle. Her solution was to quit both at the same time.
Tara credits QuitNet with helping her kick the habit. She had read something about the QuitNet Web site and it stuck with her. When she made the decision to quit that was one of the first places she turned to for help. “I used the QuitNet site to calculate the number of cigarettes I didn’t smoke. I traded off one enjoyment for another,” she says.
While her health was a big reason for quitting tobacco, it took time for her body to throw off the effects from years of smoking. Now she is enjoying the benefits of being a non-smoker. And she’s proud of the change, “My stamina is lots better, my sense of smell and taste is better, and overall I feel like a healthier person. I have no desire to start again.”
Her advice to fellow smokers longing to quit is simple: Find a hook that will help you stick with it. “QuitNet kept track of the number of cigarettes I didn’t smoke. I knew if I smoked a cigarette I’d have to start all over again and I didn’t want the counter to roll back to zero.” Also, Tara recommends that you find ways to keep your hands busy. Avoid the cigarette and pick up a squeeze ball instead. And if you cheat, which happens, start over and keep with it.
Tara tells her friends who are trying to quit, “Try every possible way you can to stop smoking. Find the way that’s right for you.” For Tara that way included frequent visits to QuitNet. It worked for her. And it can work for you. (back to top)
