So I was thinking I quit smoking on December  20th, but I actually quit on December 19th. As of today I am smoke free. It has been a long hard year, but I have made it. I have gone through depression, anger, and then there is the times when I am so proud of this accomplishment. I pray that anyone reading my blog that is has an impact on there life. Smoking leads to horrific diseases. My life with COPD has at times been non existent, sometimes I just feel like I live in a bubble. While COPD will not go away, it will not get worse and can improve some with proper medications. My father died with lung cancer because he smoked for years and I miss him so much. When he got sick he asked me and my siblings to try hard to quit smoking I didn't take heed. I smoked another 11 years after his death. Today I do know what he was talking about. I just hope this impacts someone's life in a way that they want a better quality of life for them and their family. I thank my family and friends for all the support I have received in this year, for putting up with me through the thick and thin. ONE YEAR SMOKE FREE !!!!

EVERY INCH A LADY

Kinda catchy, well when I was 20 we had gone to a club in our cute mini skirts, hot pants, gogo boots and our Eve cigarettes. They were as long as a pencil with pretty flowers around the filter. And their logo was "Every Inch a Lady" and "Finally a Cigarette as Pretty as You." Of  course in the 70's that was cool. So this is when I really got hooked. I smoked the Eve for about 4 years and then started smoking Salem "Refreshing as Springtime", their ads. They were menthol of course and I'm pretty sure they are the culprits that made it so difficult to put down. I stopped for awhile when I was pregnant with my first child only because they made me sick. When I became pregnant with  the second child I smoked the whole nine months. To this day she thinks I stunted her growth. She is really short which runs in her father's side of the family. Smoking could have been a little of the reason though. The third child I smoked the whole nine months too.

My Dad smoked too, he would tell my sister and I that those Kool cigarettes were gonna kill us, even though they were Salem. Although, if he had a cold he would bum one. I decided to get a new cigarette that wasn't as strong as Salem and non-menthol "You've Come a Long Way Baby", Virginia Slim Lights logo. Going from a menthol cigarette to a regular one was very hard to do. I thought they weren't as harmful to my lungs. The lightest of lightest is harmful to your lungs and the people around you.

50 Days and Counting

As of today I have been quit for 50 days. I am still using the patch, but I am on 14 mg. instead of 21 mg. and seems to be working well for me. I am looking forward to the day that I do not use a patch and I know it will come.

FIRST ENCOUNTER

In the beginning, this is for real it was probably 1959 and I was 8 years old. My Mom was in the hospital having surgery and my sister and  I were staying with my cousin. Well the three of us decided we wanted a cigarette. So we found some cigarettes and we smoked them, and we thought we were the coolest three girls ever. Well we went to the bathroom and my cousin had put the cigarettes in her pocket so she decided she needed to empty the tobacco out of her pocket so we would not get caught. Guess what we didn't flush the commode we were caught, although we didn't know it for a few days.
So in a few days Dad brings Mom home from the hospital gets her settled in and calls my sister and I into the kitchen. Oh Dad smoked too, non filter Camels, probably one of the strongest cigarettes made back then. If you are too young, back then Camel cigarettes slogan was "I will walk a mile for a Camel." Now back to the kitchen Dad made us smoke a whole package of non filter Camel cigarettes until the pack was gone non stop. We were gagging, drooling, and I am pretty sure we were green in color. On that day I said I would never ever smoke in my life. I would have that day not walked a foot for a Camel or no other cigarette. WRONG!!!!!

Joining a Support Group During Your Struggle ....

On Friday, January 13, 2012, I called the Quit Now hot line and joined. They are a wonderful support group you actually get to talk to a real person who is very sincere in helping you on your journey. Each day you can go to their web page and sign in and it gives you the statistics of how many breathes you have saved over the days you have quit. It also tells you how much money you have saved. They call you back each week to check on you. If anytime you are struggling you can call them 24 hours 7 days a week. If you have access to any type of hot line I suggest you call them. I know any kind of support you can get will help.