Unbelievable

I was having pretty good weekend... and then it turned into a pretty GREAT weekend! 

Guess who just got a phone call from the BC Lung Association's Quit Now and Win contest folks? I'll give you a hint... she's apparently in the running for the Northern BC region prize!! It's not quite official yet, but I'm definitely on the potential winners' list.

Congratulations to Sharlene Lively, my support buddy... couldn't have done it without you!!! And to Julie Kerr - this was a pretty fantastic idea! And Dana - you're gettin' a free lunch out of this, don't worry.

Unbelievable. Really.  I'll let everyone know when it's official!

Here's hopin'.

• That I never have another cigarette
• That eventually I stop dreaming that I have fallen off the wagon
• That friends who recently decided to quit, stick with it
• That friends who are thinking about quitting see that it can be done, and do it already!
• That someone really deserving, perhaps someone who has had a really tough time of being tobacco-free for four weeks but succeeded, gets a phone call tomorrow from the folks at QuitNow that makes it all worth it
• That everyone who doesn't get that call realizes it was worth it anyway!

Eryn Collins

Your Quit Date is: Friday, November 12, 2010 at 7:45:00 AM

Time Smoke-Free: 83 days, 18 hours, 11 minutes and 47 seconds

Cigarettes NOT smoked: 1508

Lifetime Saved: 11 days, 12 hours

Money Saved: $756.00

Northern Health's Nicotine Intervention Counseling Centre

Heading into the home stretch!

Just over a week to go before the world finds out who has Quit Now and Won! I know who I'm cheering for... but unfortunately, I also learned today that a fellow quitters is no longer in the running. I'm hoping he'll climb back on the wagon for the health benefits alone!

I wanted to share the following piece that ran in a recent edition of the Prince George Citizen's "The Scene" supplement... It's aimed at an audience I apparently no longer belong to (that audience being "young people"... when did that happen?), but I was happy to contribute anyway.

Today is the Day to Quit Smoking

by Eryn Collins, Northern Health Communications Officer and blogger

When I was fifteen, if someone had asked me to name one thing that I had done each and every day since the day I was born, my answer would have had to be “breathing”. And I might have realized it’s a big deal to do anything each and every day for that long.

Sometime around twice the age of 15, I realized there’s something else that I’ve been doing, virtually day-in and day-out, for the past decade and a half. It’s related to breathing, I guess - at least, it’s affected my ability to breathe and could eventually stop me altogether.

I started smoking as a teen… and the weird thing is that it took a LOT of effort to really get going! The first few puffs made me want to puke; the not-so-flattering stink of smoke that clung to my hair and clothes didn’t help. I had to work hard to hide my new ‘hobby’ from friends and family who didn’t approve… and I had figure out how to pay for the damn things. And that hasn’t changed – since the cost of cigarettes has doubled, even tripled in price since then.

I’ve never been very good at math but if someone had laid it out for me this way, I might have thought twice about accepting that first puff. You decide to start today. A pack will run you about ten bucks. Keep in mind they’ll only get more expensive. The addiction will eventually take you to around a pack a day. At today’s handy starting price of an even $10 you’re going to spend nearly $55 THOUSAND over the next 15 years. The good news is if you do it long enough, the wasted money will be the least of your worries.

At 7:45am on November 12^th 2010, I smoked my last cigarette. Quitting anything that you’ve been doing for one year, let alone 15, is NOT easy. It takes willpower, and a lot of support. The really good news is that you can find both, in strong supply, when you’re ready to quit.

Northern Health’s Nicotine Intervention Counseling Centre (NICC) offers individual counseling, nicotine replacement therapy to help you through the cravings, and phone or email support to help prevent relapses. For more information on NICC, call 250-565-7344.

I’m now two months smoke-free but it’s still a work in progress. Follow my journey at www.quittingthesocialway.blogspot.com; get alerts for the latest posts by following

 Northern Health on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NorthernHealth or Twitter (@Northern_Health). We also post about other health news and resources that you could find interesting!

It’s never too late to quit smoking!

My first truly Weedless Wednesday!

It’s a day I’ve dreaded each year for several years… formerly as a member of the media, and now working in the health field. I’ve always had the best of intentions to observe the mother of all hump-days that falls during National Non-Smoking Week… Needless to say, I’ve failed miserably oh, these many years.

But look at this! It’s past 3:00 in the afternoon – and I’m only now getting around to realizing that not only did I hardly give this day more than a passing thought in advance… I’m actually going to get weedless-ly through it, without breaking a sweat! Of course, that’s largely thanks to the Nicorette – it’s been a challenging week.

If you had something more like a Weed-full Wednesday, please don't despair. There's never a bad time to quit. (Would you listen to me...? I used to maintain there was never a good time!) So when you're ready, get some support, and go for it!

Northern Health's Nicotine Intervention Counseling Centre

BC Lung Association - Quit Now

 

Happy Weedless Wednesday!

Happy Anniversary to ME!

Among the congratulatory messages I received today from bc.quitnet.com, this is my favourite...

WHO'S BETTER THAN YOU TODAY? You've made it! A whole 2 months without a cigarette! In that time, you've successfully navigated the physical chaos of withdrawal, the emotional highs and lows of early quit, and the pitfalls of relapse!

I'm going to celebrate my anniversary by going for lunch with one of my new non-smoking friends. The best part is -- she's not a new friend so much as she is a new non-smoker. She quit smoking five days ago!!! (Way to go, Dana!) Her best line so far this week... "What the hell is happening with my taste buds?" Welcome to the world of being able to taste food again, my friend.

I'm enjoying being Dana's support buddy in the BC Lung Association's QuitNow and Win contest - in addition to being a contestant myself. Registration for this year's contest has closed and all us former smokers are just counting the tobacco-free days until they draw for the $5,000 grand prize. But in case you're thinking this might be your year... keep the contest in mind for the 2012 edition. You can quit anytime on or after May 1st, and be eligible.

Other recent developments on this journey include being asked to submit an article to the local newspaper about quitting smoking... I'll post a copy here once it's gone to print.

Sushi for lunch... so excited.

Moving up in the non-smoking world…

One of my blog-related dreams has come true… I’ve been invited to be a quit-buddy! Yep – I’m about to have some company on this ride – just in time for rush hour.

Saturday, January 8^th marks the start of the BC Lung Association’s Quit Now and Win contest, or at least the start of the four-week period during with contestants must remain tobacco-free in order to be eligible to win. (There’s still time to enter, the deadline is Friday.)

My good friend Dana (I’m not going to completely ‘out’ her just yet by giving her last name) called me this week to let me know that she’s signed up… and since I’ve got almost 8 weeks of tobacco-freedom under my belt, she’s asked me to be her quit buddy. I agreed, and a short time later I got my marching orders in an email from QuitNow and Win…

”Your support can make all the difference in helping your friend quit using tobacco. Here are some tips to help you support your buddy:

• Believe in the person’s ability to become an ex-tobacco user.
• Show your friend that you care. Ask how you can help and follow their advice.
• Express confidence in them and reward their efforts.
• Ask how it’s going and be a good listener.
• Help them keep busy and avoid the temptation to smoke.
• Be understanding, don’t nag, lecture or put down a smoker. Quitting isn’t easy.
• Do say: How’s your day going? Don’t say: Did you smoke today?”

I am so ready to be the best support buddy I can be. And she’s ready, too – nicotine replacement therapy products purchased, reading materials on quitting downloaded, and husband officially on notice.

Sure, there’s money on the line… but I can honestly say that I hope Dana wins. I’ve already received a couple of the ‘other’ grand prizes… Kudos from the kids, my lungs have thanked me, and indoor coffee breaks. The cash would just be icing on the cake!