Quit Stories

At the age of 14, Representative Atkins began smoking socially. Her casual habit eventually became a three pack per day addiction. Over the years, she tried to stop every Monday...

Brian began smoking in high school as a social thing and it eventually became a habit. He tried quitting many times, but it was not until New Years of 1991...

Ed started smoking when he was 12 years old and smoked for 18 years. By the time he was a young adult, he was a pack a day smoker. He...

Mike first tried to quit in 1994 because he had a heart attack, but only 8 weeks later Mike began to smoke again. He was more committed to smoking than...

Anika started smoking at age 15 and smoked for 20 years before she decided to quit. She thought about quitting many times but when she used the nicotine patches, everything...

George was a smoker for 40 years and he began smoking when he would sneak cigarettes from his dad. Over the years, he quit several times but this time used...

Jim started smoking at age 12 and when he was a young adult he would smoke at least 1.5 packs/day. Both of Jim's parents died you and they were smokers....

Betty had tried to quit many times. When she hit her 40s, she decided she needed to get healthier and started to think about quitting. But struggling to breathe on...

Robert was tired of being a smoker. He’d quit several times, but kept going back. To finally quit for good, he got the patch and used the Nicorette gum and...

Ronaldo got throat cancer at age 39 from smoking. He has a permanent tracheotomy, and now he sees the otolaryngologist every 12 weeks to make sure the cancer doesn’t come...

Debby had been thinking about quitting when a free quit-smoking program was offered at work. She used the nicotine patch and completed the program. She says it taught her strategies...

Tito didn’t realize he was addicted until he tried to quit for the third time. After a friend was diagnosed with cancer, and he found out he was going to...

Dr. Richard Miller, a thoracic surgeon at Southcoast Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, sees a large number of patients with lung cancer. He says a multi-pronged attack gives most patients the...

Kathleen had smoked for almost 30 years when she quit. She used the nicotine patch to help and walked three times a week to fight potential weight gain. “The patch...

Katrina was diagnosed with COPD and finally believed that smoking could end her life. She says it wasn’t enough to quit for the people who loved her; she had to...

Jessica began to smoke at age 13 and became a heavy smoker once she was able to pay for her own cigarettes. She found it hard to quit – especially...

As the former Mayor of Northampton, Clare is a both a positive and public role model for others to quit. Clare was sick and tired of feeling sick and felt...

Steve is a cardiovascular technologist and an ex-smoker. He got help to quit through a quit-smoking program. He says “You have to have a reason. You have to be motivated....

Kendyl started smoking when she was nine years old and ended up suffering with asthma. She says after 33 years of smoking, quitting was hard, but she fought and she...

Corinne admits quitting was hard, but got through it with advice from others. She learned from personal experiences of others and relied on a support system of friends and other...

Liz had quit quite a few times. She used a patch to help her quit, started volunteering to stay busy, and now goes to the gym every day. She says...

Margaret had been a smoker for about 10 years when she quit in her late 20s. And today she runs long-distance races, something she says she never could have done...

Mary had tried everything to quit... and tried a couple of them twice. She decided to try to quit again because of her grandchildren. What helped her quit for good...

Ida describes feeling like everything she did revolved around cigarettes. When she decided to quit smoking, she got the patch to help. Now she says "It’s changing my life. Cigarettes...

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Robin smoked for 43 years and was smoking 3 packs a day before she quit. She quit because she couldn’t breathe and wanted to be healthier for her granddaughter. Her...

Michael started smoking when he was 22.  He tried to quit a few times, but now that he looks back on it, he admits that they were half-hearted attempts.  He...

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