what made you decide to quit smoking?

[Jonny5]

For me, I always wished that I was not addicted to Nicotine, and I alway planned to stop some day, just not that day...

 

The thing that got to me was my young son reading the health warning and crying because it said smoking kills.

 

He asked if it would kill me. I told him that it wouldn't kill me. He asked why it wouldn't?.....

 

I was speechless. He had called me out on my own delusions. He pulled my head out of my cosy sand pit and made me face it head on.

 

I told him it wouldn't kill me because I wasn't going to do it anymore.

 

I planned to quit on new years eve. But woke the following morning (21st Dec 2011) and could not smoke. The protective Father in me could not put one more puff of smoke into my body. I realised that I had just succeeded, that I had quit.

[juanrmartino]

I always wished that I was not addicted to Nicotine too, but in my case i was good rugby and soccer player and im im trying to get back to top training and competition. Also health and skin coghing among many things! 

[Colleen]

For a variety of reasons actually.  Being diagnosed at 37 with mild COPD (bronchitis/emphysema), my son picking up one and pretending to smoke, that constant annoying cough that never went away; I could go on and on, but those top the list.  By the way, that annoying cough?  Gone within a week of quitting  :D

[MarylandQuitter]

When I admitted to myself that smoking was more important than anything in my life.  That was unacceptable to me but it was true.  I left my children in the house while I went outside to smoke many times per day.  I smoked while driving with the window down, dumb enough to think they weren't breathing any of it.  They watched me smoke.  Yet I continued on knowing what I was doing to my health and that I was cutting their time down with me.

 

My Dr. told me "don't sit here and tell me that your daughter is the most important thing in your life because she's not.  Cigarettes are."  That was a tough pill to swallow but after I thought about it and what he said to me, he was right.  I couldn't let my addiction to smoking come before my family ever again.  Never again will my children smell smoke on my breath or see me with a cigarette dangling from my mouth.  Never.

[Amy]

I am not sure how to answer the question What made you decide to quit.  I have always wanted to quit I have always known that smoking is not good for you.  I have always known that my second hand smoke was not good for other people. I have tried to quit many times without success. I have always known that I should quit. This time there was really no choice I did not have to decide to quit .. I had to quit  for me.  Okay I am going to say I did not make this choice until I joined the quit train. I would not have done it otherwise.  :)

[Leanna]

There are many reasons to quit. I think what finally made me quit was me realizing that I couldn't justify smoking anymore. I was standing outside, sick, smoking away. I'd take a drag and cough like crazy. I couldn't understand why I was doing this to myself. So I quit.

 

What kept me motivated was family, my age, health, and money. I was only 25 when I quit and I was already so scared of the damage I did to my body. I saw so many loved ones struggle with emphysema and COPD. It scared me to think I might get that way. 

 

I also thought of how much time I wasted smoking and how I could have been spending it with the people I loved. Those minutes are precious to me, because you never know what's going to happen or if there will even be a tomorrow.

[...]

I was only 25 when I quit

You have given yourself the gift of a lifetime. I wish I had quit so long ago.

 

Please never go back. Your so young and you can undo everything smoking has done to you.

 

Never ever go back to poisoning yourself. No. Matter. What.

[leahcaR]

Cause I felt like it :)

[SueBeDoo]

My oldest son begging me to quit and my teeth were suffering.

[sgt.barney]

The Doc and Impending Decrepitude convinced The Sarge that it was time.

 

 

Easy Peasy

[JackiMac]

So many reasons, had been trying on and off for a number of years, knew it was not good for me, but clung onto the "it wont happen to me" syndrome for as long as I could, my oldest son started smoking, didn't faze me, then my youngest told me I would die if I continued and partner told me he and my children need me, simples , my health was suffering too, scared of having a heart attack, my mum took angina at 51 and fast approaching that age, the cost of cigarettes I could no longer justify being heavily in debt and burning money so so many reasons, but mainly I wanted to quit for me.

[...]

I have 2 people in my life that I would die for......

 

I am quitting smoking for those same 2 people. Except this time, I want to live for them.

[Still winning]

This is the 3rd time today I have tried to answer this.

 

I quit because I got scared. I am pretty ashamed I didn't quit for the children I love so much, or to set an example to others I love so long ago. I quit because it was beyond time and I had run out of excuses. I won't smoke again but will spend a lifetime trying to make up for being such a selfish idiot.

[El Bandito]

I quit for Freedom.

 

How could an apparently intelligent man, in charge of all aspects of his life, wilfully kill himself slowly and allow an addiction to dictate his life....

[Doreensfree]

I quit because I was at risk of having my feet amputated....and being in a wheel chair.....

Also,watching my hubby with severe c.o.p.d....on oxygen 16hours a day....also in a wheel chair when he leaves the house.....

This scared the crap out of me.....

[Soberjulie]

There was a domino-effect-thing that was going on that led up to my quit.

-Hubby quit smoking. He was my final smoking buddy in the family. (I was so mad. Not supportive at all. I was a selfish, addicted beeotch) :(

-My lifelong best friend died.....as a direct result of smoking. The cancer did things to her beautiful face that would make you cry and possibly vomit if I described in detail. :(

-Then....the happy reason.......my first grandbaby was born :) I didnt ever want him to know me as the grandma who smelled like an ashtray. Or the sick grandma. Or the grandma who couldnt run, or was on oxygen. 

Nope.....he will never know a smoking grandma. 

 

[Tink]

I quit for me as I didn`t want it to be who I was

I quit as I think I have dodged a bullet for so long and don`t want to play Russian Roulette with my life anymore

I saw my dad die just 6 years older than I am now with lung cancer

I am seeing my mum so disabled from smoking related diseases - I do not want that for me

I love my loved ones around me and want to be seen to fight for my freedom (that ones for you jess)

[REZ]

I was sick and went to Doctor after no smoking for a couple of days due to a sore throat

 

and he said, you have already quit, try to keep it going and I did!

 

Almost 6 months later and never looked back!

 

But it took a honest try, no back up smokes or stash of emergency smokes, just do it attitude!

[Paul723]

Bump

[Sazerac]

After a trip to CA where smoking was problematic and a coughing fit on the aeroplane, 

I decided not to light up when I landed and see if I could quit smoking as a challenge to myself.

 

Googled everything about quitting, nicotine, cold turkey and luckily found Joel Spitzer.

Lurked here and there and 10 months into my quit, I jumped on QTrain.