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View All Quitting Success Stories

Each year, thousands of Canadians quit smoking. To celebrate their success, we’ve invited former smokers to share their stories about why they quit, how they quit and how it feels to be smoke-free.

Get inspired! Read personal stories by people who’ve quit smoking:

Eugennie Mercredi

This is my fourth year now of not smoking. I used willpower to quit. I went cold turkey. I was talking to my doctor about quitting because I had high blood pressure. He offered me a patch. But I told him that I’m going…

John Hodder

I finally stopped smoking about 12 years ago, after twice quitting for two (2) seven-year periods. When I smoked (3 packs daily), I didn’t think of the implications or effects on my cardio-vascular system and/or heart…

Ken Wareham - St. John's, NFLD

Let me first say that my addiction has spanned about 42 years. And like most smokers I have tried quitting and been some what successful with cessation tools. The fact I kept starting again is why I say “somewhat…

Reginald Mercredi

I started smoking when I was 14. My sister smoked and I bummed a cigarette off of her. I started out just smoking 3 cigarettes a day. Before I quit, I was smoking a pack and a half a day. What made me stop? Well, I got…

William Storie - Abbotsford, BC

I am going on 64 years young this year and had smoked from age 12 till just over a year ago. I truly loved smoking and for the bigger majority of years only smoked Export A and never developed a cough or hack. I had…

Catharina Kehler - Giroux, Manitoba

If someone had said that I would quit a few days before I did quit cigarettes, I would have laughed and said that it was impossible. I thought that I would never be able to quit, being the addict to nicotine that I was…

Ashley Toonen – Quebec, QC

I started smoking when I was 13 and have been smoking a pack a day ever since (7 years). I started this week off with cutting down to 1-3 cigarettes a day, and have not smoked for 2 days now.  I know I will never smoke…

Calvin Dimmer – Calgary, AB

I'm 28 years old. I've been smoking since I was about 18. I mostly began to smoke because everyone around me at work and at home seemed to be smoking and I finally decided I would give it a try.   For a long time I…

Christopher Foster - London, ON

I started smoking when I was twelve and it took until the age of 26 to finally quit. Over the years I had tried the pill, the patch and gum but nothing ever seemed to work. I finally decided to quit cold turkey and now…

Ken Wareham - St. John’s, NL

Let me first say that my addiction has spanned about 42 years. And like most smokers I have tried quitting and been some what successful with cessation tools. The fact I kept starting again is why I say “somewhat…