Carroll County Success Story!

My Journey    by Yvonne Gardner

I started smoking as a teenager, going from less than a pack a day to 2 packs a day.   I continued to smoke for 35 years.    During that time, I had tried numerous methods to stop smoking.   Among the methods were plastic cigarette filters, hypnosis, the patch and the gum.   I also tried cutting down on the number of cigarettes I smoked.    None of these methods lasted longer than six months.   In 1997, I experienced a spontaneous collapse of my right lung.  While driving myself to the hospital, it occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to smoke while I was there, so I smoked a cigarette.   My lung was inflated and upon discharge from the hospital, I returned to smoking.   I continued to smoke for the next five years.   My energy level and my stamina were beginning to slow down.  It was difficult for me to walk up the hill to catch my horse to ride.

In January 2004 I enrolled in the seven week Stop Smoking for Life Program sponsored by the Cigarette Restitution Fund Program at Carroll County Health Department.    The instructor was a former smoker herself.   During the first class we learned important information about the addiction cycle.   Other classes focused on nicotine replacement therapies, behavior modification, withdrawal & cravings and relapse.   The program provided vouchers to purchase the patch, the gum or the lozenge to help stop smoking.   Another important component of the class was that each week, group participants spoke about how they were doing.  They talked about their struggles to cut down or problems they were having, e.g., dreams, sensitivity to the patch, etc.   I was surprised to learn how emotionally attached many participants had become to their cigarettes.   It was like losing a friend, but one that was killing me.    The grief process was very real while in the process of quitting.   Group members supported each other and offered ideas and suggested things that worked for them.

I quit smoking on February 15, 2004 and since then I have NOT smoked 57,000 cigarettes.    I couldn't have done it with the classes, group support and most of the vouchers which helped offset the cost of the patch and the gum.    Almost three years ago I became a facilitator for the Stop Smoking for Life Program and since then I have helped 82 individuals on their quitting journey.     I often hear comments from my group participants including, ""Thank you for saving my life!", "You have given me back my life", and "Thank you for being here for us each week."   At the end of the seven week sessions we ask "Would you recommend this program to other tobacco users who want to quit?"    Frequently I hear, "I already have."