Tasha's triumphs

Tasha smoked for 28 years before quitting for the first time. And then she quit again. Each time you make a quit attempt, you're more ready to quit the next time.

I have been a pack-a-day smoker for 28 years.

I had 2 previous attempts to quit on prescribed stop smoking tablets, but the weight gain, constipation and horrible dreams sent me over the edge and so I decided to start smoking again. I have been on patches for 9 days now and I am happy to report that I am going strong. No cravings, no dreams and no weight gain.

I sometimes miss the habit of holding my old friend whilst having a coffee first thing in the morning, but I have changed my routine.

At the end of the day we are what we repeatedly do, purely creatures of habit. For me, the reasons to quit were that I did not want my teenage boys to follow in my footsteps.

I have opened a new bank account with over $210 in 9 days. I plan to reward myself and the family with a holiday overseas this Christmas. Previous holidays overseas for me were too hard to contemplate with the thought of not being able to smoke for 10+ hours.