Jane's been quit for eight years. And she's changed her life, from little habits to big ones.
I gave up smoking almost eight years ago and couldn't feel more proud of myself.
I started smoking when I was 14 years old so, after 12 years of smoking, it was a struggle to give up the bad habit. The hardest smoke to give up was the one I had with an alcoholic drink. Whenever I went out with my friends for a few drinks, I found it difficult to not smoke. For me, a drink and a cigarette went hand in hand. After a number of times of caving in and having a cigarette, I thought to myself, 'I can't keep doing this', so I quit drinking for a while until I taught myself to have a drink without a smoke. It took some time but it's the best thing I've ever done. Now I can go out with my friends for drinks without thinking twice about having one.
My husband also quit with me, which helped as we supported each other during cravings. This might sound weird, but I ate pumpkin seeds every time I felt like having a cigarette, it helped me forget about going out for a cigarette and also kept my hands busy. We quit cold turkey and relearned how to do things like have a coffee without a cigarette.
Now I'm 35 years old with two kids and a smoke-free household. I'm so grateful that I quit, especially before my kids saw me smoking, as I think this teaches them it's OK to smoke.
I truly believe that if you want to quit, you can if you just keep trying.
