I had decided I wanted to quit smoking cigarettes many times but making that decision and following through with it were two different things. I never truly realized how hard it was to quit until I actually started trying. I always had this idea in my head that when I wanted to quit I would just do it and that would be that. Well after smoking for a solid 10 years that obviously was not the case. I wanted and tried to quit on my own throughout my entire first pregnancy with little success. I had a lot of guilt surrounding this and the fact that I smoked through my pregnancy and with a newborn.
When I got pregnant with my second I knew I needed to do something different to quit smoking for good. I briefly tried the patch to quit and quickly realized that wasn’t for me. Two doctors I saw at the time kept telling me about first breath but it took me failing with the patch and nicotine gum and really struggling to admit I needed more help and support and to accept that help as well. But once I officially joined the program and connected with my quit coach, I knew immediately I made the right decision and that this was what I needed to get me to the point of being smoke free and staying that way.
My quit coach met me right where I was in my journey to quit smoking and there was no judgement, only help, support and the tools I needed to help me along the way. One thing I remember being very important in my journey of becoming smoke free was being honest about my slip ups. I would stop smoking for a day or even 5 days a couple of times but then light up again and have to start over. But by continuously telling my quit coach about all my slip ups we were able to go back and talk about patterns she or I noticed and in turn find solutions so I could finally get a good chunk of time being smoke free. There were a lot of little things I did to quit smoking, many of them were suggestions from my quit coach. Things like eating a sucker or chewing gum when I really had a craving or when it was the time of day that was most difficult for me to get through without a cigarette. Also, thinking back, just the overall support and accountability of a quit coach helped tremendously and without that one on one support I dont think I would have quit.
I have now been smoke free for over a year and plan to stay smoke free for the rest of my life. The benefits of being smoke free have greatly outweighed the little bit of satisfaction I would get when smoking a cigarette. I no longer smell like an ash tray 24/7. My daughters are not exposed to cigarette smoke anymore. I can taste food again and dont have to put a pile of salt on foods anymore. I have way more energy and motivation to do things and I don’t feel drained all the time. I can run more than 10 feet without being out of breath. The list goes on. It is truly an amazing feeling being smoke free for over a year now and I have no desire to smoke anymore and as a matter of fact the smell of cigarettes is quite unpleasant to me these days and I never thought I would be one to say that. The first breath program is great and they are there to help. Pure and simple. So why not take advantage of the help and support that can be offered to you. There really is nothing to lose only to gain when it comes to the first breath program!