Quitters Sometimes Win

by William Lewis

Today is day 47. I’ve been “quit” for more than six weeks and counting. “Quit” is the term used by non-smokers/former-smokers who are on the wagon. “Quit” is what we are doing (verb), who we are, as in “I am quit” (adjective), and our goal, as in to be “quit” (participle).

I quit, you quit, they quit, we all quit. Screw politicians like New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and his fascist, "you've got to be stupid, really dumb to smoke" cigarette taxes. Screw all the do-gooders, the reformed zealots, the purists, and anyone else who hates the smoke but love the smoker. I've quit dammit, I've quit!!!

I smoked for 44 years and loved every minute of it. I consumed enough cigarettes to fill a railroad car. I've smoked every brand imaginable. From non-filtered Camels and Lucky Strikes, Pall Malls and Chesterfields to Parliaments and Kents, and Merits, regular and menthol, king and 100's. I smoked Player's when they were British and Ruby Queens in Vietnam. I've had Russian cigarettes that tasted like someone crapped in the pack. I've smoked over a half million of those little white cancer sticks and dropped more money than I want to calculate. I smoked 'em, and I loved 'em. I'm reforming, but I'm not repenting.

A few months back, my doctor sent me for a CT scan. He noticed congestion in my lungs and wanted the scan to take a look. The results were not horrible, but not great either. In a nutshell, he told me I was working on a good case of emphysema a few years down the pike. For the first time I had a vision of riding through Wal-Mart on one of those little scooters with air tubes up my nose and an oxygen bottle strapped to my back. I remember going to a VFW meeting once and seeing this old guy with the plastic tubes in his nose, sucking on a Camel at the same time. Not a pretty sight.

So I said to myself, OK, screw it. I'm going to quit. Big words. Did I have the balls to go through with it?

I was clueless about how to start. I knew my odds of going cold turkey would not be good. I can get a little testy sometimes, and going without my 50 cigarettes a day, all at once, might lead to something that none of us would be proud to talk about. I needed help. Strangely enough, I found it on the Net.

There is a website that was largely responsible for my quitting. The site, QuitNet (www.quitnet.com), offers not only realistic and positive information about quitting smoking, but has a ton of support mechanisms included. The site also includes message boards and chat rooms for ex-smokers and ex-smoker wannabes.

QuitNet took me through a series of questionnaires that helped me determine the best quitting tactics, and offered realistic and no-b.s. suggestions. Relying heavily on the info from the website, I formed a plan and did it. To my amazement, I'm now almost seven weeks off the weeds.

It's not been easy, nor has it been as bad as I thought. I use the patch and Wellbutrin, a drug that helps decrease the urge for nicotine. The first week, called "hell week" by the quitsters, was that indeed, but afterwards, it got easier. I still want a cigarette. I want one right now. But I'm not going to have one. That is the difference, and the difference in me.

It seems to me that I was lucky. I found QuitNet by accident. If I had not found it, I may have gotten this far, but somehow I doubt it. I think instead of the stupid anti-smoking TV commercials that are being aired, someone should just do simple PSAs for QuitNet. No hype, no crap, no nonsense, just straight information.

I'll always be a smoker, but hopefully I'll never have another cigarette. Hopefully I'll never be a zealot or an anti-smoking Nazi that looks down his nose at those who still puff away. I've just realized that my little buddies in their white paper suits can't be part of my life anymore. I'll miss them, but I'm moving on.

William Lewis is a local freelance writer. If you would like to respond to this Slant or have one of your own (850 words), contact Howard Altman, City Paper executive editor, 123 Chestnut St., third floor, Phila., PA 19106 or e-mail altman@citypaper.net.

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