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Original poster

To ask you for the thing that finally motivated you to stop smoking ...and did it work ?

87 replies

Yoyokitten · 07/02/2026 11:38

My Dad, born in 1919, started smoking at 12 years old, was totally addicted and could not stop.
He died at 57 of a pulmonary embolism.
Far too young.No one else in my family smoked.
So when I listened to a programme on Radio 4 this week called Tobacco and Me, it got me thinking.
I went to college at 17,and everyone smoked, so being an idiot I tried it too.
Hated it ,felt sick and dizzy so instead of rejecting it I carried on until it became a habit.
The thing that stopped me smoking was that one night about 9.30pm, in the middle of winter I realised I was running out of cigarettes.
The nearest little shop was about half a mile away.
It was snowing, but I set off.Got to the shop slipping and sliding, bought them and set off back home.
On the way back I slipped sprained my ankle and fell and sat on the fags as I went down, crushing them.
I sat in the snow laughing and crying.
That stopped me, and I never smoked another one 🤣.

OP posts:
Colourscolours · 07/02/2026 12:18

I started smoking when I was 23 - everyone in my crowd smoked. I started by taking the occasional cigarettes from them when we were out drinking. And it was just amazing how quickly I was hooked.

A couple of years in I started getting the occasional irregular heart beat and went to the GP. He immediately linked it to the smoking and more or less said I could possibly have a heart attack if I continued smoking.

That was a wake up call for me. I didn't go cold turkey immediately but I started systematically reducing the number of cigarettes each day. And the ones I did light up I only smoked half before stubbing them out. I got it down to 3 day and then the hardest part was giving these 3 up and actually spending a night in a house with no cigarettes in it at all.

But thankfully I got through that. And the biggest incentive to not smoking again has always been the memory of how hard it was to give up.

I started running after I stopped and the health benefits were so enormous it really is worthwhile. Not to mention the money saved.

FastFood · 07/02/2026 12:16

I have been addicted to nicotine probably from the very first puff.
I have tried many times being an occasional smoker (I remember at a time, I was "allowed" to smoke at gigs, so well, I was going to gigs every evening) but it doesn't work for me, my brain craves nicotine the moment I put a cigarette down.
So my motivation was to not be a slave to this addiction anymore. Health, money, all of that were very nice add-ons.

I have only managed to quit long term bu quitting drinking as well. I have a way less complicated relationship with alcohol, but after a couple of drinks, my nicotine-craved brain starts negotiating "we could have one, just one, come ooooon". Which doesn't happen sober.

Ironically, I find quitting smoking very easy, which is also why I came back to smoking so often, because I knew that it'd be easy quitting again.

Original poster
Yoyokitten · 07/02/2026 12:15

Well done all of us, it's not easy 💖

OP posts:
Original poster
Yoyokitten · 07/02/2026 12:13

Wow so many different reasons.
My husband was a heavy smoker and decided one day to save up for an expensive camera.
It was going well, then he developed a chest infection and pneumonia.Was really ill for 2 weeks.When he finally recovered he couldn't face starting again.He got his camera !

OP posts:
TigerRag · 07/02/2026 12:09

My dad stopped smoking after I gave him my cold which for him turned into a chest infection for him

He was told to give up previously as they weren't sure why he collapsed at work (later diagnosed as epilepsy)

namechangeabc123 · 07/02/2026 12:08

I switched to vaping instead. I was never really addicted to smoking, and was an on and off smoker, but I quickly became addicted to vaping. I did stop vaping after a few years but it was really hard to quit.

Original poster
Yoyokitten · 07/02/2026 12:08

That is amazing well done.

OP posts:
Original poster
Yoyokitten · 07/02/2026 12:06

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 07/02/2026 11:52

Twice, being too ill to even think about it. But the first time it happened only lasted a year or two - I was driven to desperation by coping with dementia, and succumbed once again to the fags.

Second time, years later, 3 weeks in hospital with pneumonia and pleurisy was very effective! A bit drastic, but I have not weakened since.

It must have been so difficult, well done for lasting a year.
My mum in law had dementia, it was horrendous.
Sorry you went through both

OP posts:
RazedBeds · 07/02/2026 11:56

A dear (non smoking) friend died of leukaemia aged 26. I was a year older and reflected that whilst his life had been taken from him, I was wilfully doing something harmful and being careless with mine. I gave up on the 1 year anniversary of his death and couldn't possibly let him down by smoking again. That was 27 years ago.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 07/02/2026 11:52

Twice, being too ill to even think about it. But the first time it happened only lasted a year or two - I was driven to desperation by coping with dementia, and succumbed once again to the fags.

Second time, years later, 3 weeks in hospital with pneumonia and pleurisy was very effective! A bit drastic, but I have not weakened since.

Original poster
Yoyokitten · 07/02/2026 11:47

That's the best reason in the world 🙂

OP posts:
KilkennyCats · 07/02/2026 11:41

Getting pregnant, but that’s a bit drastic.

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