Quitting Smoking (the social way) - Part One (repost)

Hi. My name is Eryn, and I’m a smoker.
(Chorus) “Hi, Eryn!”


Tomorrow – maybe even later today - I’m going to buy my last pack of cigarettes. There, I said it. And on the Internet, no less; which I understand is somewhat wide-reaching and permanent.


For the past four years I have been a Communications Officer for Northern Health. I provide media relations and promotional support to all of Northern Health’s facilities, departments and program areas - including our Tobacco Reduction Strategy.

The irony is not lost on me. And I’ve felt self-conscious about it for four years now. So – when the BC Lung Association launched its “QuitNow and Win” contest in October, and NH Director of Population Health Julie Kerr (not-so-subtly) ‘suggested’ I should register – I immediately agreed.


Okay – actually, my first response was, “They don’t make nicotine patches that big.” But then I gave it some thought. First thought – “Could I really quit something I’ve been doing for more than, what - 15 years?” Second thought – “Holy crap – I’ve been smoking for more than 15 YEARS?”


I’m not going to list all of the thoughts that followed in chronological order – it’s an exhaustive list. Let’s just say there were a couple of main (and conflicting) themes: skepticism due to past failed attempts, and wistful daydreaming about all the benefits I’d get from actually succeeding.


Not long after this thought process started, another coworker made another (not-so-subtle) ‘suggestion’. Communications Officer Jessica Johnson has been leading the charge as Northern Health launches itself into the world of social media. My contribution to this effort would be blogging about my quitting journey. I immediately agreed.


Actually – my response this time was “And who’s going to edit this blog for curse words?”


Apparently I gave that some more thought too, or you wouldn’t be reading this. So here I am – thanks to some very persuasive, and (it turns out) VERY supportive colleagues, who whether they like it or not are going to be mentioned and/or featured in these posts for the next few months. In addition to encouraging me to stick with this (if all of my facebook friends follow along, I won’t be able to sneak a smoke in any province in Canada without getting busted), I’m also hoping to encourage others to quit, or at least start thinking about quitting.


Lucy Beck is our Regional Director of Public Health Protection. (At least one friend has suggested perhaps she should be put in charge of just “public protection”, at least for the first few weeks of this process.) This morning, Lucy handed me an official “quitnow” sticker that will go on that pack I’m going to buy, in advance of my quit date – Friday, November 12th. The sticker simply says “My LAST Pack”.



Wish me luck.



Northern Health's Nicotine Intervention Counselling Centre:
http://www.northernhealth.ca/YourHealth/EnvironmentalHealth/TobaccoReduction/NicotineInterventionCounsellingCenter.aspx

Quitnow and Win contest:
http://www.quitnow.ca/