Sabrina's staying quit

Sabrina has had experiences a lot of us can relate to, we start and stop again. But what she's learnt? You have to keep trying.

I have tried to quit many times and the longest I hadn’t smoked was 5 months!

Imagine having not smoked for 5 months and then being silly enough to start again just because I had a few drinks and felt adventurous. Of course I was hooked again straight away, thinking I’d only have one or two when I'd have a drink. Problem was, I worked in hospitality and had a drink or two almost every night. That was 2.5 years ago and obviously kept smoking until now.

This time it feels different for some reason. I always had in mind to quit as soon as I was 30 years old. I had then smoked for 15 years and thought 30 should be the time to 'grow up' from silly things like smoking. I obviously didn't quit at 30 (now I'm 32). Now more than anything I really don't wanna go back. Me and my boyfriend would smoke away about $150 a week!! Plus we loved our beers and this would also cost us another $50! I know to quit smoking mainly because of health (which is of course the biggest reason for me and him to quit) but spending that much every week on something that is so bad for me, made me feel sick.

So yes, now we haven't been smoking for nearly 2 weeks! And instead of smoking and drinking we are now doing long walks every evening and I have never felt so good. We've always been healthy eaters but now it feels like it really pays off. To be completely healthy really makes you feel great. No more dirty cigarette smell, no more being in a hurry to smoke, no more hiding the dirty habit from some loved ones, no more worrying about my health. I really already feel so much better. I'm not coughing anymore in the morning. Exercise is easier and a lot more enjoyable. At the end of the year as a reward we are going to visit my family overseas. This is something we wouldn't be able to afford if we'd continued the lifestyle we had before. That plus continuously feeling better and better will keep us on the right path.