TL;DR: My name is Jordan, and I look forward to meeting people on this forum who can help give advice about quitting, so that I can overcome what feels impossible, and live a healthier life.
Hello everyone! My name is Jordan, I am 21 years old, and I started smoking about 2 and a half years ago. Youth of my generation were educated on smoking enough to where there was no way you could start without knowing what the risks were. So why did I start? At 16 years old, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Feels like it was 1-1/2 to 2 years before we found a medication that put me into remission. Around when I was 17-18, I was at 110lbs, and still losing weight. I thought I was going to die. I didn't realize that there was a long list of medications I could still try that would likely work, so I started smoking because I was curious about it, and thought I wouldn't be around much longer anyway.
Well, one life saving drug and not dying later, I found myself smoking. It was something that I used to comfort myself, which is one of the best ways you can get yourself addicted. I had convinced myself I wasn't going to smoke long, but its already been longer than I am proud of. Truthfully, I want to quit because I am scared. My Crohn's disease is treated by medications that suppress my immune system, so I am already at greater risks of undesirable things. I don't want to put myself in a spot where my family has to watch me slowly die again.
I have every reason to quit, but even though that is the case, that doesn't make it easy. I have tried e-cigarettes, which I have decided I need to steer clear from. They just break too easy, and make you think of tobacco. The furthest I have ever gone without cigarettes was about 5 weeks in the time I have been smoking. At my worst I was at half a pack a day. I have cut down to as little as 3 cigarettes a day, but as easy as cutting back felt, actually giving the sticks up is another thing. I recently went back into smoking after 4 weeks tobacco free, and I want to give it another try. This time, I have an app that should help remind me why I am doing this, and now I am joining this forum hoping that I can meet people with experience, and advice that can help me get to where I need to be. Not smoking cigarettes again.