The story below is about a free Quitline that helps people end their addiction to tobacco and its cruel companion, nicotine. Getting people to quit became a personal crusade of mine after smoking killed my mother, father, sister, and various aunts and uncles. They all started at a young age before warnings on cigarette packs said smoking will kill you, and the habit became less acceptable in social settings and public spaces.
With smoking, you usually don’t just up and die—although some people do. It’s a long, slow, painful process that robs you of breath and tortures you with the knowledge that you did this to yourself. Nicotine is one of the hardest drugs to quit. My sister struggled for years—tried the patch, gum, hypnosis—and said she hallucinated about seeing cigarettes floating in the air when she tried to give them up.
She finally had to quit when she went on oxygen. My aunt wasn’t so strong. Incredibly, she would take the mask off to keep smoking.
My mother quit on National Smoke Out Day when she was 50 years old. She had started smoking at 13 thanks to peer pressure while working on a farm in Manorville. A strong woman, she quit cold turkey and never missed it. Within weeks, she could walk down the stairs to her favorite beach at Wildwood State Park — something she struggled to do as a smoker.
It took decades, but the tar and nicotine of a pack a day finally caught up to her and at 87, died a horrible death from lung cancer, the same disease that took my dad.
The state Department of Health now highlights the story of Deb, who reached out to the Quitline and received free nicotine replacement patches along with ongoing support calls from trained Quit Coaches. She says the combination was life-changing, helping her break both the physical and mental grip of smoking.
It’s a new year. Help is available. Please make the commitment to rid yourself of the terrible curse of tobacco.