Women Who Quit Alumni
AMANDA and DEBBIE and STEPHANIE—Three Women Who Pledged to Start the 2011 New Year Smokefree!
Amanda from Washington, Debbie from North Carolina, and Stephanie from California committed to a New Year's 2011 quit date. Learn about their journey to quit smoking, including the challenges they encountered along the way and their plans for staying smokefree or renewing their efforts to quit.
Amanda—After 15 years, finally starting the New Year smokefree
Amanda, 32, from Bothell, WA, has been smoking since she was in high school. Over the past 15 years, she's consistently kept the number of cigarettes she smokes to less than a pack a day, but she hasn't been able to quit for more than 24 hours—until now.
Her first quit attempt in 2001 ended after just 15 hours. Her second attempt was in 2006—this time with the help of the patch—and lasted only 24 hours; once the patch came off, she was ready to smoke. The third attempt was in August 2010, and it ended abruptly when she started having symptoms of appendicitis. Three days later she had her appendix removed, and quitting smoking moved to the back burner.
Now, with the help of Smokefree Women, she's ready to quit for good. Amanda says her main motivators are long-term health and cutting expenses. "My decision was not forced by health professionals but by a choice to breathe easier for the rest of my life. In addition, my cigarette costs have increased to $8 to $9 per pack and $75 for a carton. I recently lost my job, and I am trying to trim down what I spend. Quitting smoking will save me $150 a month."
Amanda's arsenal of current and planned tools includes:
- Using the patch to ease her nicotine cravings
- Visiting women.smokefree.gov, where she frequently accesses the quit guide for encouragement
- Keeping track of her progress with the quit smoking app she downloaded to her smartphone
- Using the phone support line
- Visiting additional quit smoking Web sites
Amanda quit smoking on January 1. On the second day after quitting, she said, "I'm still smokefree, so that means I've already made it farther than I did in my previous three attempts!"
Debbie—"Turning 50 is my Time to Quit!"
Debbie, who turned 50 on December 28, lives in Glenville, NC. Her quit date was January 3, her husband's birthday.
Debbie started smoking as a teen and didn't try to quit until she became pregnant at 31. She stopped smoking through all three of her pregnancies but started back again each time. The longest she has stayed quit was about 5 years.
"This has been the battle of my life," says Debbie. "The last time I started smoking was definitely stress related. That was 3 years ago, and now I'm a full fledged smoker.
Honestly, I hate it, and so does my husband, who is an ex smoker—which we all know are the worst when it comes to smokers. My children also hate it, and I am very thankful that none of them smoke. I look at them and think, 'OMG! I had already started at their ages.'
I think turning 50 is my time to quit for good, and I look forward to having the support of other women and the tools offered at Smokefree Women this time!"
Stephanie—Wants to quit before trying to get pregnant
Stephanie, 34, is a stay at home mom in Anaheim Hills, CA, who has quit smoking for as long as 15 months, but wants to quit for good this time.
The first time she quit was when she found out she was pregnant, and she didn't smoke again until her daughter was 6 months old. At 22, Stephanie got sober and joined Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). That's when her smoking increased. She says, "In AA everyone smoked and drank coffee, so that's what I did too."
In 2005, she quit for 11 months with the help of the patch, but started smoking again for, as she says, no good reason.
Now she's got many reasons to quit. According to Stephanie, here are her top 5:
- My health. I have Lupus and smoking doesn't help anything, that's for sure.
- My family. I have a beautiful 16-year-old daughter and my husband. We just got married in August and are newlyweds. He smokes, and I am hoping he will want to quit once he sees me do it.
- My husband and I want to get pregnant this summer. A new baby is way more exciting than smoking!
- My best friend's father had a heart attack the night before Christmas Eve, and he was a smoker. That scared me!
- For me!! To feel better, smell better, and have an overall feeling of healthiness!
Stephanie says, "I believe that the tools offered at Smokefree Women and the knowledge that other women are reading my Facebook page and Twitter will make me feel so much stronger—I can do this, and I will!"
CINDY and HEATHER—Two Women Who Quit on Mother's Day 2010!
Cindy from Chicago and Heather from Maryland committed to a Mother's Day 2010 quit date. Learn about their journey to quit smoking and where they are now. Find out about the challenges they encountered along the way and their plans for staying smokefree or renewing their efforts to quit.
Cindy in Chicago
Longtime smoker Cindy Martinez, 43, managed to stop smoking 8 years ago when she was pregnant. But, when her husband died, the grief and stress were overwhelming. She reached for cigarettes to help her survive.
Over time, Cindy has adjusted to the demands of being a single mother, but the stress remains and so do the cigarettes. Cindy knows how important it is to stop smoking, for herself and for her daughter.
With the help of Women.Smokefree.gov, Cindy's goal was to learn to deal with stress without cigarettes.
Heather in Maryland
Heather Bohn, 30, started smoking when she was 16. In college she started smoking more frequently. Then, when her mother passed away in 2003, she went from smoking a pack every few days to smoking a full pack to a pack-and-a-half a day for 3 years.
She quit in 2006 when she was trying to get pregnant, but has smoked off and on since—although not "full time."
The mother of two girls, Cadence, 3, and Noelle, 2, Heather's goal was to quit for good on Mother's Day 2010.
Heather's challenges were learning how to deal with stress—at work and home—without cigarettes and being around friends who smoke with her socially. Her hope was if she quit her friends would too.
Where Are They Now?
After being featured for 3 months, the "Women Who Quit" have the opportunity to stay in touch with their fans by becoming alumni. As alumni, they are encouraged to provide updates on their journey to be smokefree at 6 and 12 months after their quit date.
Cindy's May 2011 Update
Although my attempt to quit last Mother's Day was not successful, I'm happy to report that I did quit smoking on February 7, 2011. It has only been a few months, but so far, so good!
I've been crocheting a lot. At first it was a scarf a day. Then, I had several friends having babies, and I did four baby blankets. Now that the weather is warming up, I'm gardening. The key for me is to keep my hands busy. I didn't want to replace smoking with eating, and so far I've been successful. I've lost 11 pounds!
In the April issue of Redbook, I was featured in an article called "How 5 Moms Kicked Their Worst Health Habits" (http://www.redbookmag.com/health-wellness/advice/breaking-bad-habits-5 
). In the article, I talk about the motivation to quit that comes from my daughter. Redbook asked Michael Fiore, M.D., director of the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, to give me some advice. He suggested nicotine replacement—such as the patch, gum, or lozenges—exercise, and rewarding myself with the money I'd be saving.
I chose the gum and chewed it a lot at first but now only when I'm having a strong craving. I also try to walk four to five times a week, usually after dinner. That is when the cravings still hit. I have also replaced smoking with carrots. Although, I have cut back on the carrots; at one time I was afraid I was going to start turning orange!
One of my greatest rewards was when a colleague at work told me that she read the Redbook article and was inspired to try and quit. She has asthma, so quitting would be an even greater health benefit for her. I thought: Wow! If my quitting can inspire her, that would be wonderful!
A friend sent me a quote by Mark Twain that says "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." I keep that on my desk as a reminder to keep on trying and to take it one day at a time.
Heather's May 2011 Update: 1 Year Smokefree on Mother's Day!
This Mother's Day, I'm one year smokefree! It hasn't been easy, but I've stayed smokefree since quitting on Mother's Day 2010. Some days were (and still are!) harder than others because I get the urge to smoke—even though I know I've quit for good this time. The only times I really still crave a cigarette are when I have a stressful day at work or when we're hanging out with friends and a having a couple drinks. It's gotten easier for me to be around people who smoke and not to want a cigarette; however, sometimes the smoke can be a little too much for me, making it hard to breathe. I feel so much better and have not gained any weight, which is a big victory! I'm hopeful that my kids can learn from my mistakes and know that they can do anything they set their minds to.
Heather's December 2010 Update
I'm happy to say I've been smokefree since my quit date of Mother's Day 2010. I thought it would be easy for me because I had quit before, but, it wasn't—especially when faced with daily situations and routines that previously included a cigarette. My biggest challenges were stress and social time with friends, as these were the times I picked up cigarettes in the past. My first instinct was to turn to food, so I had to work hard to change my eating habits too. My daily motivators were my husband, Jason, my children, and Smokefree Women. I knew if I started smoking, I'd have to log on to my Facebook and Twitter accounts and fess up. I didn't want to let down my friends, or even the women who I'd never met before who were following my journey. It's been more than 6 months now, and it feels great to be smokefree. This is one New Year that quitting smoking won't have to be on my list of resolutions! Now onto other issues...
