Saying goodbye to cigarettes was the hard part and not one that most people are ready to take. Welcoming back life was the prize and that’s all we needed. Growing up everyone around me smoked. It wasn’t uncommon and still isn’t today to see young kids running around the UK with a fag hanging out their mouths. I’ll admit I probably started smoking because everyone else was doing it and it was the “cool” thing to do at the time. It was nothing to smoke a whole pack while on a bender at the Pub with my mates on a Saturday night or every time I had a cuppa.
What happens is after you’re hooked you now have this dependency on a drug (nicotine) that literally will take over your life if you let it. I pretty much grabbed Nic (my dependent) by the hand and he trolled around with me everywhere I went. I remember when we were able to smoke a fag in the pubs and how you had to practically fight your way through the cloud of smoke to find your mates. Bloody hell we knew it was rough, we could see it, taste it, smell it, and we hated it but we still kept doing it. Nic didn’t want to go away, because I allowed him to stay. It was like having the great Gazoo (you know that highly evolved alien species from the Flintstones) on my shoulder whispering in my ear, “Fred you got the smoke, I have the lighter ok dumb-dumb”.
Smoking is something that is comforting to most that do it and acts as a stress reliever. Sometimes people start to smoke just to fit in or be cool. I know I sound like a nutter but as an ex-smoker it’s the truth. I know some of my mates who workout at the gym and secretly need to take a break half way through to go light up to relax a bit. This is the devastation, the addiction taking control, and we know it. We don’t need anyone to tell us it’s wrong or that we potentially may die from smoking. We know it so well that we keep on doing it because or brains just don’t give a toss.
Little by little your body starts to ache as if it’s slowing down. You begin to blame it on old age although any senior would laugh if you told them you thought you were old. Smoking effects your health and your body feels these effects even during simple everyday activities like walking or running. As an avid runner I struggled to get from point A to point B. Mrs. CBB found it a struggle when walking longer distances and was huffing more than usual. We talked about quitting often while sitting outside with a cigarette hanging out our mouths.
Smoking has it’s own effects, just like unhealthy eating habits, lack of proper exercise, dehydration and alcohol abuse. Sooner or later all of these negative habits catch up to us, and health problems start to arise.
It was finally in January 2012 when we really started to think about our health. We wanted to be around for as long as we could together. We didn’t want our lives to end simply because of our own actions. Who does that? Who intentionally wants to kill themselves knowing doing what they are doing will eventually bury them? We also were paying higher than normal life insurance premiums and cigarette’s weren’t getting any cheaper. In fact, we were spending upwards of $200 a month or more on blowing smoke into thin air. We could have put all of that money towards paying off our mortgage and we could have paid it off years ago.
On January 29,2012 at 9:30pm we kicked the smoking habit to save our health and budget. Our doctor who was chuffed offered us boxes of Nicorette even though we had just paid $72 for two boxes the day before. Mrs. CBB tackled this addiction with all her heart and soul and with only 2 pieces of gum she gave up smoking and never looked back. Myself however it took me 8 pieces of gum and I wanted nothing more to do with them. Easy peasy, not really, we made it through but not without the help of each other and the Smoker’s Helpline. The Smoker’s Help Line is an organization in Canada that helps people and motivates them to quit smoking. They would call us once a week and check in to see how we were doing. To this day we are so thankful to the staff at the Smoker’s Helpline, I’m not even sure if they know how much.
Although I said goodbye to Nic he’s now looking for the next young wanker to say… do you have a light mate? We need to spread the word to all Canadians about how addictive and deadly smoking can be at any age. Don’t let smoking take over your life. It’s your decision, make the right one and quit smoking today. You will be happy to welcome back your life like we did.
Readers, have you ever had to battle any addiction? How did you over come it? Did you?
Special Thanks:
Thanks to Mr. CBB of Canadian Budget Binder - a blog written about a Young Canadian Couple’s Journey to Debt Freedom for sharing his journey to quitting smoking. If you already follow him (thank you), for the rest of you, don’t be shy to follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
Mr. CBB,
Congrats on kicking the habit. I’ve been fortunate to only have brief stints of smoking. I just traveled to Europe for three weeks and I caved. It was so hard not to want a cigarette while all my European friends smoked! So for about five weeks I would smoke about 15 cigarettes a week (not a day).
It wasn’t too terrible, but I just got back into the gym and I know what’s good for me.
Let’s not forget how expensive this habit is. On top of paying for every pack, you pay for extra medical treatment in the long run. Not worth it!
-Christian L. @ Smart Military Money
Christian L. recently posted..Should I Stay or Should I Go? Pros and Cons of Leaving the Service
Cheers Mate. Yep it’s an expensive habit and I’ll be honest I did visit the doctor at one point after I quit for one reason. I could not sleep to save my life and it was interfering with my daily happiness. It took a good 6 weeks to break that cycle but I made it through somehow and I’m still married so that’s a good sign. When we first decided to quit we said if we are still married when it’s all done and over with we know we can make it through anything in this marriage! Cheers Mr.CBB
Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..The Grocery Game Challenge Sept 10-16 ~Almost Fall!
Good for you CBB.. A smoking habit can be expensive and destructive.. congrats to you on overcoming it.
jefferson @SeeDebtrun recently posted..Portable storage for families trying to downsize their living space
Cheers mate. Sometimes I wonder now what took me so long to quit. You realize alot once you kick the habit. Mr.CBB
Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..The Grocery Game Challenge Sept 10-16 ~Almost Fall!
Nice work on kicking the habit. I have some friends that I’m trying to help quit, but they’ve quit like 6 times to no avail. It really is destructive and killer.
Jacob @ iheartbudgets recently posted..Weekly Wrap-Up, Mentions and Good Reads #16
Cheers mate. It wasn’t easy and although I work in a team environment I do work alone most of the time. I did let my colleagues know that I quit so they were aware that I might be on edge a bit. They were appreciative that I told them and now they laugh about it and tell me how miserable I was at times. I’m the life of the party type of guy so it was hard to hide lol. So it’s not easy and to get this far I’m certainly proud. Cheers MR.CBB
Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..The Grocery Game Challenge Sept 10-16 ~Almost Fall!
In college I had a pretty bad smoking addiction…and I overcame it by swapping smoking for chewing tobacco. lol. I guess that didn’t go over so well. Somehow I ended up stopping both though; now I just chew a lot of gum!
Jason @ WSL recently posted..Blog Income and Site Statistics August 2012
I have an addictive habit when it comes to trading stocks. I get into it for a couple months and then quit.
I’m more addictive to just progress in general!
Financial Samurai recently posted..Why Do Some People Consistently Spend More Than They Earn?
Congrats on kicking your smoking habit. I wish you both a long and heathy life with some extra money in your pockets to help pay for the extra years =).
Mrs PoP recently posted..How We Bought A $50K Duplex – Part 1
Cheers Mate! The money will go to fund our trip to the UK next year. A well deserved trip after moving here just 5 years ago! Mr.CBB
Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..The Grocery Game Challenge Sept 10-16 ~Almost Fall!
Nice to hear from you at Finance Fox. You should be so proud of yourself and Mrs. CBB!
Cat recently posted..Payday Loans – an overview on them and why you should avoid them
Thanks Cat… it’s been a long time coming and I am so proud to say I did it! No one will believe it when I go back home next year! Cheers Mr.CBB
Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..The Grocery Game Challenge Sept 10-16 ~Almost Fall!
Thanks for sharing my story mate. I hope I inspire many others to take a step back and make choices based on what they really want from life. I chose “LIFE”. Cheers Mr.CBB
Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted..The Grocery Game Challenge Sept 10-16 ~Almost Fall!
Mr. CBB, thanks for sharing your story. I grew up in a town where almost everyone smoked. Tobacco was the main cash crop, so people supported it! My Dad and his brother both started smoking in high school. My uncle passed away after an awful battle with throat cancer at age 47. My dad has stopped smoking several times, but is unable to quit long term. He has had two aortic aneurysm surgeries, a stroke, and two carotid artery surgeries, yet he still smokes. It must be a powerful habit. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that he will probably never quit, and he won’t live to a ripe old age either. I try not to judge, but I do wish young people could fast forward a few years and see the toll it takes on your body.
Kim@Eyesonthdollar recently posted..The Low Income Clinic Experiment
Congrats on quitting! That’s is awesome to hear.
I feel fortunate that I never started smoking and there is one reason I never feel victim to the cool factor. I started working at 15 at a grocery store. Most of the people I worked with were older and college aged. All of them were trying, unsuccessfully, to quit smoking. I decided that smoking was something that people always eventually tried to quit, but struggled greatly to do so. Why start something you are just going to want to stop down the road, but be unable to.
JP @ My Family Finances recently posted..Your Net Worth Is Lying to You; Don’t Let Your Family Be Fooled!
Congratulations on quitting! I know a couple of others who have had similar success to you, but I know it’s not the case with all quitters. Keep up the good work!
Brian recently posted..I can haz vacation?
Yes, you should be proud of yourself! You are a lovely example of how planning and support can help you achieve your smoke-free goals.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, and mention our services and how they helped.
Zoë Siskos
Coordinator, Communications, Smokers’ Helpline
Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division
http://www.smokershelpline.ca
http://www.Twitter.com/SmokersHelpline
http://www.Facebook.com/SmokersHelpline
Inspiring story in my opinion. Hate smoking people in offices or public places where it’s allowed.
Good job, keep your healthy life.
Alexander Collins recently posted..5 Forex Trading Techniques for a Newbie Which Are Often Overlooked