Success Stories

Join us in celebrating success at quitting smoking! Our Success Story program recognizes individuals who have overcome obstacles during their quit, and Support Group members who have made significant efforts at helping others.

Every month we publish the most inspiring success story.

To read the stories of past monthly winners, please visit our Hall of Fame.

Please join us in celebrating this month's winner!

Recipient: Stormy Quit Date: July 17, 2006 Recipient: Stormy Quit Date: July 17, 2006 Stormy’s Smoking History When we asked Stormy about her smoking history she told us that she started toying with the idea of smoking in her teens. She was an occasional smoker for a few years so when she became pregnant at the age of 20 it wasn’t a big deal to quit. Shortly after the birth of her daughter she resumed smoking regularly and continued to smoke for 26 years. Everyone around her was smoking and she used it as a way to escape everyday stresses. She started out smoking lightly but as time went on she worked her way up to a pack a day. Near the end of her years smoking she slowly began to cut down until she was only smoking 3-8 cigarettes per day. Throughout her life as a smoker Stormy had many unsuccessful quit attempts. Her longest quit lasted for two months before she was able to quit for good. What motivated you to quit this last time? When we asked Stormy what motivated her to quit she said without hesitation her husband! HE was a pillar of support throughout her quit. He encouraged her endlessly and listed to her when she was having struggles. She also used the members at the SSC for motivation and support. “The SSC made a world of difference”, Stormy tells us. It was comforting to have interaction from people going through the same experiences. What was different about this final quit? The difference in this final quit was mostly internal for Stormy. She was getting to a point where she was tired of the self defeat of previous attempts – it consumed her with every cigarette that she smoked. She was also starting to feel sick in strange, subtle ways. For Stormy she associated so much of her life to smoking that it was hard to see beyond the cigarette. Although she thinks it took her longer than most people to ‘let go’ of smoking and accept her quit. Once she got to this point, she was able to move forward and embrace life as a non-smoker. What did you use or what techniques did you use to resist cravings? This quit, Stormy decided to quit cold turkey. She decided that this was the best method after she had tried and failed with NRT in previous quit attempts. She figured that quitting cold turkey would be similar to yanking off a Band-Aid; it may hurt at first, but then you get over it quicker. To help resist the cravings Stormy drank lots of water, chewed lots of straws and gum and stayed busy to keep distracted. She also said that sometimes she just had to ride it out and remained patient until the craving pasted. Did you have any major slips? And if you did, what did you learn? When asked this question, Stormy proudly boasts that she had not one slip up this last quit! Do you have insight or advice for others? When asked if she had any advice or insight for others, Stormy had lots of great input. “Maintaining a positive attitude is a key factor. Also, lots of support from the SSC will help you along the way, because we have ALL been there, felt that, and we just plain understand. When your emotions take you on those "roller coaster rides", try to relax and know that it's only temporary, you might go through a little down-time, then things will be on the up and up again, and life becomes normal once again. Really it does! There really is a good life to be lived without smoking it away. It's just a nasty habit, but it's a habit that can definitely be broken. If I can do it, I KNOW you can too.”