I’ve been smoking since I was very young, not even 10 yet. I’m now 24. I smoke a whole pack if not 2 packs a day. As soon as I put out a cigarette it’s like right after or not too long after I’m lighting up another one. Train smoking at its finest, and the urge was constant no matter what I was doing I always wanted a cigarette from the time I woke up until the time I got in bed to sleep. I smoked one as soon as I opened my eyes and a few before I go to sleep. From smoking for so long and gradually smoking more and more over time it’s hard for me to breathe. I can’t run like I used to when I was younger, when I go for walks I easily get out of breathe and my chest gets tight, I used to be a cheerleader and gymnast so I did a lot of working out and moving which from smoking I’m not able to do anymore. If I tried to do my old routines I wouldn’t even make it half way through that’s how bad my breathing is. I’ve got 2 young daughters my oldest is 5 my youngest is 2. I want to be the mother my children look up to. I started smoking because everybody in my family who I was around smoked, so I just picked up on it. My mom, dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it. I don’t want my children to start smoking because they see me and their daddy smoking. It’s a bad habit I wish I would’ve never picked up on and I would never want my daughters to pick up on it. I know the health risks it’s put on me and I never want my children to go through that. They’re both super active like I was as a child and when they get older I wish nothing but the best for them and their health! I also don’t want my children to get second hand smoke, that’s just as bad if not worse then smoking alone. My youngest daughter already has occasional breathing issues and the main contributor to that is from her father & I smoking. I want to be able to breathe without coughing or my chest hurting from all the cigarette smoke I kept putting in my lungs. I want to be healthy and able to breathe, walk without losing my breathe and work out without almost passing out from shortness of breathe. I also don’t want to get any type of lung or mouth cancer or even serious breathing problems like COPD as it runs in my family as well as some cancers and other health conditions. I’ll be the 1st in my family to actually quit smoking and that makes me proud. I know I’m strong enough to do anything I put my mind to. I want to be a healthy me, I want to change my way of living and quitting smoking is the first big step in my goal. I’ve been trying to quit now for quite some time and I’ve just never been able to do it. Today is the 1st day of my quitting journey. I woke up this morning out of cigarettes and don’t really have the money to get a pack so I decided today is the day I’m starting my journey on being smoke free! I’m not going to buy anymore packs of cigarettes, not even black & milds. We spend around about $300 a month on cigarettes so quitting will also help us save money which is a huge plus! I put on a nicotine patch this morning and have been putting nicotine lozenges in my mouth when I do have any type of urge to want a cigarette. Hopefully I don’t have to use the patches/lozenges/gum for long I can cut the habit quickly. So far so good, although it’s only day one I know I can do this! I’m determined to quit smoking not just for myself but for my children as well! All of our health will be a lot better being smoke free. Today is my first day in this journey of quitting smoking but if I get any types of urges, I’m simply going to think of my health and look at my two beautiful daughters and know that quitting is best for all of us. We’re going to get more active, I’m going to keep my mind occupied with things other than smoking and not even think about cigarettes. To keep myself motivated of being a non-smoker I’m going to go through my house, throw away all ashtrays, old cigarette packs and anything associated with smoking so that I don’t get any urges to want a cigarette. I’m going to deep clean my house as well to get all the smoke smell out of my house so that I can be a non-smoker for the first time in 15 years! I’ve got full motivation and I’m not going to give up, I will be smoke free I have complete faith in myself!
