Follow Travis, a local Bennington Citizen who is kicking the nicotine addiction. Learn about other strategies Travis has tried, the times he almost quit, and how he plans to make it this time!

Travis's Profile

Name: Travis

Age: 27

Occupation: Youth Support and Supervision Staff at Center for Restorative Justice

Where do you live? Bennington, VT

How long have you smoked? 6 years

When did you start smoking? Off and on since I was 16, but the last six years actively.

How much do you smoke? A pack a day

Were you 16 when you first tried a cigarette? No, I was 12. I was bored while waiting in the car for my grandma to get out of school as she was a school teacher, so I lit up one of her Misty cigarettes and took a drag. I was more curious than anything because I thought the taste was disgusting.

Have you tried any other tobacco materials? I've chewed and used nose snuff for many years while in the military.

Have you tired to quit before? Yes, at least three times as recommended by my doctor.

Why are you ready to quit now? Because smoking is bad for me, my clothes and body smell bad from smoking, it costs a lot of money, and I have support from my girlfriend who is also quitting.

1st quit attempt

I tried to quit in late summer of 2005 as recommended by my doctor. She suggested the patch and their program offered financial support for the patch. I had the whole step-down cycle of patches, but I was just not ready to quit and found the patches ineffective with cravings. I still smoked a _ pack a day on the patches. I wasn't on the patch that long when I was at work playing a basketball game with the youth I worked with and the patch fell off. I was somewhat relieved because it gave me an excuse to light up. I knew it wasn't good to smoke on the patch and I really didn't want to quit so I gave up. Since I had patches left over, I tried to quit again a couple of times over the next couple of months, but I didn't have the will power to stick with it. Because I didn't take it too seriously, I didn't make any other habit changes such as not smoking in the car while trying to quit, or drinking less coffee and drinking more water. I think that is a big reason why I wasn't successful.

2nd quit attempt

In the fall of 2005, the doctor recommended quitting again. This time, she suggested a slower and as effective method to quitting. Basically, she said cut down by two cigarettes a day each month until I end up quitting over the course of a year. I tried to rush the process and got down to about just over a half a pack in less than a month. I had a bad day one day and that's all it took to go back to smoking a pack a day. Again, I didn't make any habit changes, I didn't really want to quit, and rushed the process.

3rd quit attempt

In the winter of 2006, I gave quitting a shot again after speaking with my doctor about another alternative she suggested. I smoke lights, so she suggested trying menthols. I thought for sure it would work this time because I can't stand the taste of menthols, but it just made it worse. I figured if I am going to smoke, I might as well smoke what I like rather than smoke something I didn't. I couldn't understand how that would help anyway.

After many mutual conversations with the doctor about my quit attempts, I know the main reason it didn't work before is because I kept all my bad habits. This time, I have a well thought out Quit Plan and better support to finally kick butts!

This time, I plan to quit for good. Learning from my past experiences will help me be successful.

First, I have a prescription for Chantix - that will be a big help! Second, I plan to break my day into segments. For example, from 6:00 to 11:00 a.m., I plan to only smoke two cigarettes. I will have one when I wake up and one before I go to class. From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., I will have one or two cigarettes. From 4:00 p.m. until I go to bed, I plan to have one or two more cigarettes. I do not want to smoke more than six cigarettes a day which will be a major change from smoking a pack a day. I also plan to do the following things in my every day routine to break bad habits that compliment my smoking behavior and nicotine addiction:

• Tell everyone that I am quitting.
• Develop a support system - who can I count on at work to help me through a craving, which one of my classmates can offer support, who out of my friends and family can I call when I need encouragement?
• I use the distraction putty or stress ball provided by my local coalition and hospital cessation program to keep my mind off of cravings and typical smoking behavior.
• I have identified and written out reasons I want to stop smoking and look at them frequently.
• I have created a mental list of my favorite top ten movies and songs to listen to, watch, or think about when I get bad cravings.
• I have started a smoking journal to look at my smoking patterns and document my quitting experience.
• I have made a mental list of smoking risk situations and triggers. For example, when I wake up in the morning I automatically have a cigarette. It is a habit. I always smoke in the car or when I am drinking coffee. I have to think about and prepare myself for social situations where others are smoking, etc.
• I will break my morning habit by smoking a cigarette later in the morning instead of first thing when I wake up
• I am getting my car detailed and will not smoke in the car anymore. I will rock out to good music and keep my mind off of smoking.
• I have replaced coffee with tea and drink more water.
• My home is now smoke free and I do not put myself in social situations where I am tempted to smoke. For example, when my friends are outside smoking, I stay inside or wait in the car for them.

YES! I've been quit, no smoking at all, for two months. I began my quit attempt in January 2008 as a New Year's Resolution. Chantix is a big part of my success. It cut my cravings drastically. When I have serious cravings, get anxious, angry, excited, anything, I use the distraction putty and stress ball a lot, play my favorite music, take a five minute walk, call a friend, read, or immerse myself in work until it passes. I will never look back. At first, I hated being a nonsmoker. Now, I am glad I finally did it and know I will never smoke again. It is a big accomplishment and I am proud of myself. Plus, I will be healthier and save a lot of money!

Do you want to send Travis an e-mail to show him your support, get more information on his quit success, share your quit story with him, or give him tips to help him stay quit for good? You can! E-mail Travis at tobaccoiswacked@yahoo.com