To the editor:
I watched my father smoke as a child and despised the smell and mess of his ash tray. I watched 3 grandparents take their last breath from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease due to smoking and swore I would never smoke. Then came a devastating divorce at the age of 26 and I became a single mother of three.
One night as I was visiting with friends, I decided to try a flavored cigarette. As time went by, I smoked more and more. The loneliness and stress seemed to decrease with each cigarette I smoked and eventually I was a full-time smoker. With each inhalation, I wondered how I had advanced to smoking something I once detested. However, I had become addicted.
My doctor begged me to quit and I responded, “It is my best friend and it makes me feel better.” He offered all the smoking cessation techniques and programs, which I refused. After all, no bad effects would happen to me! I am different than my father, grandparents and others who can no longer take a deep breath.
Then it happened. 27 years later, I developed a dry cough throughout the day which worsened at night. The activities I normally did with ease became difficult as I couldn’t breathe. What had happened to my endurance? Have I smoked too long to rebound from the effects of smoking? I tried to quit multiple times without success. Each time I quit and started smoking again, I felt defeated. After multiple attempts I finally was able to quit smoking and learned to deal with life’s issues. By learning alternate coping mechanisms, nicotine replacement therapy and healthy lifestyles, I am smoke free!
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) states it takes 8-11 attempts to quit before success. Don’t allow failed attempts of smoking cessation to defeat you! Even if you are not interested in quitting at this time, start researching the methods and techniques to stop. After all, we are all different and one method doesn’t work for all.
Patricia Coon BSN, RN
Director of Nursing
Vinton County Health Department
Resources:
1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)
https://quitnow.net
