Why Quit Smoking?

I’m Dana Noonan and I quit smoking January 1, 2007.

It was the best thing I ever did for my health.

How I quit smoking
I set my quit date a month in advance. I informed family and friends that I was going to stop smoking January 1st. I contacted my doctor who had suggested using the nicotine patch and asked for a prescription.  A couple days later I went to Walgreens and picked up a grocery bag full of nicotine patches.

In weeks leading up to my quit date, I read about ways to quit smoking paying close attention to the plans people made for the first week or two of being cigarette free. I think that the best book I read was Alan Carr’s The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

I choose a couple of actions to help me quit. A few were obvious, like get rid of cigarettes and smoking paraphernalia. My sister sent me a list of about 75 things I could do to distract myself from smoking. The list was a bit too focused on cleaning and heavy lifting.

I realized that I had to spend less time near where I smoked the most. Since I worked a home on a computer for fairly long hours, I smoked a lot at the keyboard. I decided to spend less time at the computer, watching tv, or reading. I had to spend more time in places or situations where I couldn’t smoke.

So I decided to go where I knew I couldn’t smoke. I went to the movies a lot. The first day I saw The Queen with Helen Mirrin and enjoyed it immensely. Later I went out to eat in one of Minnesota’s wonderful smoke-free restaurants. In the following weeks I spent a lot of time at the movies, mall walking, and visiting the library (Shhh! No Smoking). I also napped a bit more. I did a little cleaning but not enough to satisfy my sister. I also consumed a lot of red, orange, and purple Tootsie Pops.

Oh, and I used the nicotine patches. The patches worked great for me. They really made quitting pretty easy. I was able to taper off nicotine gradually over a three month period.

I also had another incentive that isn’t available to everyone. My brother offered to give me $500 if I would quit smoking. I took him up on it and collected April 1, 2007.

I haven’t smoked since January 1, 2007. I haven’t been tempted since the first couple of months.

The results of smoking
Unfortunately, a lifetime of smoking caught up with me five months after I quit. I learned that I have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD is a lung disease that is directly attributable to smoking. It is the number four cause of death in the United States and worldwide.

I was fortunate to receive exceptional care at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, Minnesota. Part of that care included about ten weeks of Pulmonary Rehab. Rehab gave me back my life. Although I always knew that exercise and proper diet are essential for healthy living, I ignored both. I now exercise regularly and I’m working on adopting a better diet.

The Why Quit Smoking Blog
I enjoy niche blogging and have a number of blogs.  I like the process of putting together a useful site and watching other people visit. I also like the little bit of money that blogging provides.

But there are two blog topics I have avoided like the plague: health and personal finance. I consider these topics too critical to everyone’s well-being to be handled by someone who is not a trained professional in the health or finance field. 

A lot of internet marketers make a fair amount of money off other people’s misery. Don’t expect me to start blogging about acne, stress, foreclosure, and solving your credit problems. I will not promote products that are shams just to make a few bucks.

I started this blog to help others quit smoking. I know firsthand the effects of smoking on your health.

I think it is the most important thing an individual can do to improve their health.

The very best advice I can give any smoker is to talk to your doctor about quitting. Your doctor will be able to suggest ways to quit that fit your current health and lifestyle.

Make this year the year you quit smoking for good.