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

[Yoyokitten]

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 🤣.

A serious cancer scare. Was put on the two week pathway and never smoked again. Luckily I got the all clear re cancer but it gave me the scare I needed to quit.

Thank you all so so much for your replies.Sorry I couldn't answer individually.
Very much appreciated.So many fantastic, happy ,sad ,inspirational stories.
We are all amazing.
It's 56 years since I fell down in the snow, so safe to say I don't think I will ever start smoking again😂I was 18, now 74.
The funny thing is that I loved the act of opening a new fresh packet, the ritual of peeling the little plastic strip off opening and sniffing.I still remember loving the smell of new cigarettes before I lit up.
Thanks again

I got pregnant. I’m lucky in that there were no vapes then so I avoided the dreaded continuous sucking on a plastic thing.
i smoked for 17 years but went cold turkey quitting. Haven’t had a drag since.

It's amazing how many people went cold turkey and succeeded.

I tried to give up multiple times and in the end I just couldn’t face any more giving up and failing at it! So that time I gave up for good

Honestly? The fear of dying being unable to breathe and not being around for my kids. They deserved more than that.

Ruth Langsford’s lines around her mouth. I won’t do vapes as I dread to think what goes into those things. Cold turkey for me. Six and a half weeks in, it’s getting easier.

A different view but this is what motivated me to never start.

Granny, Mum and Dad all smoke.
My Granny smoked in the house and died a horrible death with lung cancer. Her whole house was yellow with nicotine. I was 13 and begged my mum and dad to stop, they didn’t and said it was fine because they smoked outside… under my bedroom window.

My Dad had Lymphoma, followed by throat cancer and then lung and brain cancer. It was years and years of cancer - lung and throat certainly caused by smoking.

My mum is now in a vicious cycle of smoking and coughing. It’s awful to watch because it’s what will kill her.

I decided to walk across America.

Stopped 10 weeks before I set off. Didn't start again.

Very drastic.

I wasn’t a mega smoker but liked one or two roll up’s. Diagnosed with cancer and have had two major operations on my throat. Never smoked again. And tbh any smoke, vape or nicotine really aggravates my throat. I have Chord paralysis post surgery, don’t talk in the same way and struggle to swallow. Not a chance I would be tempted.

I've bought the Alan Carr book today. I hope it helps!

There was no trigger point. Id smoked since I was 16, stopped while pregnant at 26, started up again after finishing breastfeeding and then just naturally stopped at around 33. Just phased out tabs, did switch on to vapes but then I felt awful with all that wasted plastic so just stopped.

Funnily enough DH (who is still a smoker and vaper) bought a new custard flavour for his vape and I really wanted to try it (who doesn't love custard!) and I coughed up a lung. Turns out I cannot inhale anymore. So that's a victory I'd say!