In families where smoking is prevalent, it can be difficult to break the cycle of addiction. Darlene and Verla know this all too well, as both have struggled to quit at different times in their lives.
When we first met Darlene (right), she was ready to give up on her most recent quit attempt of one week. Cigarettes had formed an incredible hold on her after smoking for 45 years, and because it was publicly accepted, she’d never found the motivation to stop.
Darlene’s mother Verla was also a smoker. She quit 27 years ago when she started to feel pain in her lungs, and though her husband continued to smoke, she persisted with her quit. Verla now lives with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
This mother-daughter team is no stranger to obstacles when it comes to quitting smoking, but lately things have been looking up. Last we spoke to Darlene, she had quit for 12 days and picked up nicotine replacement therapy in addition to signing up for QuitNow email, text, and phone support.
“Quitting smoking has a lot of benefits, but those benefits are not always good enough to keep you on track with what you want,” she says. “I’ve tried to quit since 1985 for varying lengths of time, from 24 hours to ten months, with the knowledge that each time I quit I contribute to the health of my lungs.”
Darlene’s Quit Tip? “You can only do this one moment at a time. Do your best not to pressure yourself.”
Keep trying, Darlene – we know you’ll get there!
Just like Darlene, many people attempt to quit multiple times before they are successful. Would you like to share your story? Tell us at quitnow@bc.lung.ca
If you need free support to quit smoking, visit QuitNow.ca for more information.
