I haven't thought about this blog in a long time, but tonight I found myself reflecting on how truly lucky I am that I quit smoking over four years ago now. The bonus has been that not only did I quit successfully, but so did my two brothers who live in Austin (within a couple of miles of me), and my husband and sister-in-law.
We used to be a family of smokers. I don't have many memories of my mom smoking; she quit when I was a young child. My dad smoked on-and-off my whole life, up until recently. I think he's been quit for about a year now. My older brothers smoked since they were young teenagers. I started smoking at around 14 years old and smoked almost continuously until May 16, 2005, 25 years old. My younger brother smoked from around the same age until he was 24. He and one of my older brothers quit in March 2006 and haven't looked back.
There were several overlapping years in which 5 out of 6 of us smoked. We would get together for holidays, sporting events, reunions and the like, and everyone but my mom would crowd onto a porch or huddle outside an events center, puffing away. Now and then we would comment on what a shameful situation it was. It was a terrible habit that we bonded over and reinforced in one another. I remember with some horror now all the times my mother complained that we would flick our cigarette butts into the yard without even thinking of cleaning them up, or fill an ashtray and never empty it.
Almost all of my friends smoked, too. I was fortunate in that the months leading up to my quit brought a shift in my social life, away from smokers--I moved out of the house I rented with 3 other girls, all in college, 2 of which were smokers, and into my own apartment. My then-boyfriend (now-husband) smoked at the time, but quit in August of the same year I quit. I started a job in 2004 in which smokers were the minority, and for the first time I really saw that smoking was giving others a negative impression of me and holding me back professionally. Now, several years later, I have very few friends that smoke. I didn't intentionally stop socializing with smokers, it just happened naturally.
It's heartening that the culture is changing for the better around me. Austin passed a smoking ban in 2005 that has effectively eliminated smoking from restaurants and bars in town. This has removed a big temptation and I think it has been a positive influence on the health of citizens generally. Several other US cities have enacted similar laws.
My own micro-culture has changed completely. Now it is very rare that I am exposed even to second-hand smoke. I am out of touch with the cost of cigarettes. I am sure that days and even weeks pass by without my thinking about smoking.
This isn't to say I'm never tempted to smoke. Occasionally my husband and I find ourselves reminiscing about smoking, particularly when the weather turns cool, or we're sitting out on a balcony, porch or our new deck--places where the romantic smoking memories remain. Sometimes when we go out and other people are smoking, we are momentarily tempted. We went to a music festival last year in which I was more tempted than I have been since I very first quit, but I couldn't bring myself to smoke, knowing I would undo all the good I've done over the past few years. And I knew I couldn't get away with smoking just one, so I didn't.
As of tonight I have been off cigarettes for four years and two months. I am also 9 months pregnant. Several years ago, I wondered if I would be strong enough to quit smoking when I got pregnant. It was one of my reasons for quitting when I did--knowing that someday I wanted to have children. I had a nightmare (common in pregnancy) a few weeks ago about going out and smoking and drinking, only to realize halfway through that I was pregnant and had inflicted untold harm on my child. Imagine how relieved I was when I woke up and remembered that I didn't do any of those things, and haven't since I've been pregnant. My body has been a healthy place for my child to grow in, and I am very grateful for that.
I feel very blessed to have an almost entirely non-smoking family now. My parents are moving to Austin soon, so we'll have all of the non-smokers here in town. My younger brother and his wife have an 8-month-old, and I love knowing that he has grown up so far in a completely smoke-free family. He and my daughter will know a world in which family doesn't smoke, and family is right here for them.
My older brother who still smokes is also considering a move to Austin. I can't help but think that the momentum of our family's success in smoking will affect him, too, and that moving here would be the impetus for him to quit successfully.
If we've turned around this bad habit as a family, what can't we accomplish?
We used to be a family of smokers. I don't have many memories of my mom smoking; she quit when I was a young child. My dad smoked on-and-off my whole life, up until recently. I think he's been quit for about a year now. My older brothers smoked since they were young teenagers. I started smoking at around 14 years old and smoked almost continuously until May 16, 2005, 25 years old. My younger brother smoked from around the same age until he was 24. He and one of my older brothers quit in March 2006 and haven't looked back.
There were several overlapping years in which 5 out of 6 of us smoked. We would get together for holidays, sporting events, reunions and the like, and everyone but my mom would crowd onto a porch or huddle outside an events center, puffing away. Now and then we would comment on what a shameful situation it was. It was a terrible habit that we bonded over and reinforced in one another. I remember with some horror now all the times my mother complained that we would flick our cigarette butts into the yard without even thinking of cleaning them up, or fill an ashtray and never empty it.
Almost all of my friends smoked, too. I was fortunate in that the months leading up to my quit brought a shift in my social life, away from smokers--I moved out of the house I rented with 3 other girls, all in college, 2 of which were smokers, and into my own apartment. My then-boyfriend (now-husband) smoked at the time, but quit in August of the same year I quit. I started a job in 2004 in which smokers were the minority, and for the first time I really saw that smoking was giving others a negative impression of me and holding me back professionally. Now, several years later, I have very few friends that smoke. I didn't intentionally stop socializing with smokers, it just happened naturally.
It's heartening that the culture is changing for the better around me. Austin passed a smoking ban in 2005 that has effectively eliminated smoking from restaurants and bars in town. This has removed a big temptation and I think it has been a positive influence on the health of citizens generally. Several other US cities have enacted similar laws.
My own micro-culture has changed completely. Now it is very rare that I am exposed even to second-hand smoke. I am out of touch with the cost of cigarettes. I am sure that days and even weeks pass by without my thinking about smoking.
This isn't to say I'm never tempted to smoke. Occasionally my husband and I find ourselves reminiscing about smoking, particularly when the weather turns cool, or we're sitting out on a balcony, porch or our new deck--places where the romantic smoking memories remain. Sometimes when we go out and other people are smoking, we are momentarily tempted. We went to a music festival last year in which I was more tempted than I have been since I very first quit, but I couldn't bring myself to smoke, knowing I would undo all the good I've done over the past few years. And I knew I couldn't get away with smoking just one, so I didn't.
As of tonight I have been off cigarettes for four years and two months. I am also 9 months pregnant. Several years ago, I wondered if I would be strong enough to quit smoking when I got pregnant. It was one of my reasons for quitting when I did--knowing that someday I wanted to have children. I had a nightmare (common in pregnancy) a few weeks ago about going out and smoking and drinking, only to realize halfway through that I was pregnant and had inflicted untold harm on my child. Imagine how relieved I was when I woke up and remembered that I didn't do any of those things, and haven't since I've been pregnant. My body has been a healthy place for my child to grow in, and I am very grateful for that.
I feel very blessed to have an almost entirely non-smoking family now. My parents are moving to Austin soon, so we'll have all of the non-smokers here in town. My younger brother and his wife have an 8-month-old, and I love knowing that he has grown up so far in a completely smoke-free family. He and my daughter will know a world in which family doesn't smoke, and family is right here for them.
My older brother who still smokes is also considering a move to Austin. I can't help but think that the momentum of our family's success in smoking will affect him, too, and that moving here would be the impetus for him to quit successfully.
If we've turned around this bad habit as a family, what can't we accomplish?
posted by Mary Linton at 2:37 AM
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