Tips from Ex-Smokers

Quitting smoking isn’t easy but it is possible.  In fact, it’s easier than losing weight!

Many Wakullans have been able to quit smoking.  Here are some of their stories.  By sharing their reasons and tips for quitting, they hope to help others who will quit smoking on February 10 with Quit & Win.

Elinor Elfner decided to quit smoking when she turned 40.  She was working for the Wakulla School Board at the time.  After several unsuccessful attempts to quit, she identified her smoking “cues,” those times, locations, and situations when she was likely to light up a cigarette.  Then she deliberately watched nonsmokers so she could figure out what to do with her hands.  Armed with this information she quit “cold turkey” and began to think of herself as a non-smoker doing what non-smokers do.  During meetings, Elinor took detailed notes or crocheted, instead of smoking.  Some people find it helpful to play with paper clips or a rubber band, just to keep their fingers busy.

Louise McGuire, a long-time employee of the Health Department, quit smoking in January of 1994.  Her mother quit smoking a couple of years ago as well.  Louise credits God – and chewing gum – for her success.  Like Louise, many people find it helpful to replace cigarettes with gum, hard candy, a toothpick, or a straw.  Having faith in God and faith in yourself can be important, too.  As the weeks pass, focus on how much better you feel.  Louise reports having much less sinus trouble since she quit smoking.

{sidebar id=1}Bruce Ballister, Economic Development Planner for the Apalachee Regional Planning Council, credits the support of former co-workers with his success at quitting.  He and four others at his former office quit smoking at the same time and used each other for moral support.  If you know people who are quitting on February 10, be kind and helpful to them.  Tell them you’re pulling for them.  If you smoke and aren’t yet ready to quit, help them out by not offering cigarettes, lighting up in front of them, or smoking anywhere near them.

Allen Freeland, Chairman of Wakulla’s Economic Development Council, offers the following tip, which helped him.  Have all the clothes in your closet washed or dry-cleaned when you quit.  Then you won’t get a whiff of cigarette smoke every time you open your closet door.  You’ll also think twice about starting to smoke again.  Some people get their teeth cleaned on the day they quit smoking for similar reasons.

Lynn Artz, Chair of the Wakulla Health Care Task Force, started smoking when she was a teenager.  The first time she quit, she was in her twenties and quit because the smoke bothered her future husband.  While trying to quit, Lynn found it helpful to keep herself busy.  When an urge to smoke would strike, she would tell herself “I can make it for 10 more minutes,” then she’d move to another room or start a new activity.  Pretty soon she’d forget all about smoking.

Several years later, Lynn resumed smoking and had to quit two more times before she was able to quit for good.  This is common.  Most smokers try to quit an average of 5 times before they eventually succeed.  Each quit attempt is important practice, however, for learning to quit for good.

For helpful information and advice about how to quit smoking, call the Quitline at 1-877-822-6669.  If you would like to share your own quit story and quit tips with others in Wakulla, please call Cathy Price (926-7125 x276) or send an email to Lynn Artz (lynn_artz@hotmail.com).

This article originally published on February 1, 2008.

Written by :

Lynn Artz

 

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