Why I Quit Smoking

I started smoking at a very young age - we were 12 years old when we pinched my friends parents cigarettes, lit one, tried to smoke it, coughed our guts up - it was horrible, but then shortly after I got in with a group of friends, and they smoked, and so I smoked.

I regret it heavily, I hate that I smoked, but back then I didn't care I was a teen in revolt, and when I met my hubby he was a smoker too, and so we smoked - it was normal.

I fell pregnant and so I quit but started again after giving birth, but never smoking in the house of near him, and then three years later I fell pregnant with my second child and quit again. Then my nanny was diagnosed with lung cancer, and I wanted to quit completely. At this point in my life, with two small children, I was hardly smoking, I never smoked around them, and I only really lit up on breaks at work, or when I was out socialising. 

My main drive to quit was my boys - I realised that if I continued to smoke it was highly probably that they would end up smoking too and I don't want them to smoke - so hubby and I made the decision to quit - for me it was much easier - I just simply stopped smoking - I did slip up now and then, especially if we were out having a drink I would have the odd one or two, but then my nanny passed away and I never touched a cigarette again.  For hubby it was not so easy, he needed quitting aids, patches, and gum etc. it took him a lot longer, but in the end with my support he quit - the last cigarette I had was approx 8 years ago.

I look back now, in shame that I smoked, I hate the fact I smoked, it was too easy as a 13-year-old to walk into a corner shop and buy myself a packet of 10 Red Band - we used to smoke at the bottom of the high school field, my parents never knew - although, my little sister caught me behind the shops once, ran home to tell my parents - it was the huge disappointment on my dad's face that I remember, and he made me watch these videos about the effects smoking has and I promised never to smoke again - but I did, I was young and I didn't care, thus I continued to smoke.

The reasons to quit smoking out-way the reasons not to quit - Smoking is a dangerous habit with real health risks and don't forget Life Insurance is always more expensive for smokers.

If you can't quit for yourself, then quit for your loved ones.

This post is in collaboration with  Legal & General.