Kicking the habit: One year later

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kristopher Levasseur
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Editor's note: This story is a follow-up to a three part series documenting a smoker's attempt to quit.

More than one year after my last attempt and I finally did it - I quit smoking. It has taken me far longer than I had originally expected, but I am glad I have finally reached my goal.

Ok, that might be jumping the gun a little bit. I have remained smoke free for three weeks now and plan on never smoking again.

It has not been easy to quit. I have gained 5 to 6 pounds over the last few weeks because I cannot stop eating. The withdrawal symptoms I have experienced this time around have been more severe than I have had with any other attempt. Sleepless nights, shivers and cold sweats were common for me for the first week or so.

Now that I have made it this far, my physical addiction has passed and now the only thing that remains is the mental addiction.

When I initially decided to quit, my daughter had just been born and I didn't want to have her see me smoke. Well, my daughter's first birthday just passed so that didn't work out as I had planned, but what I can do now is make sure she never has to see it again.

As a father of two (with one more on the way,) my biggest concern is that my children will emulate my behavior. As the first stepping stone in my children's education, I do not want to teach them that smoking is acceptable.

This time around, I decided to quit cold turkey. According to the smokers cessation class available here, people who successfully quit cold turkey have a lower relapse rate. In my opinion, that is true because if you have the willpower and mental fortitude to withstand the withdrawal symptoms and overcome the addiction, it proves you were ready to quit in the first place.

One thing that helped me through it was not allowing cigarettes to be easily available. The trick was making it so there is no way for me to smoke without getting caught. Being stationed at RAF Lakenheath was a big advantage for this because cigarettes are a rationed item here. By handing over my ration card to my wife and having good friends who wouldn't buy cigarettes for me, I essentially did not have access to cigarettes. The only way I could to buy cigarettes is to go off base and pay £5 (approx. $10) for a pack. This is not a price I am willing to pay.

Even though I have succeeded so far, I am not in the clear. This is something I am going to struggle with for the rest of my life. This is not the first time I have quit, but I am determined to make it the last.