NORWICH – Last month, millions of smokers nationwide took their final puff before kicking their smoking habit for good during the American Cancer Society’s 37th annual Great American Smokeout, a day when smokers are encouraged to make a plan to quit or plan in advance to stop smoking that day.
For Chenango County resident Stephanie Meek, the Great American Smokeout marked an 11-month milestone in her tobacco-free life. Meeks lit up her last cigarette in January and since, she said there has been no turning back.
“I used to enjoy smoking. I even looked forward to it. It was part of my routine,” she said, recalling her 15-year history of smoking one or more packs of cigarettes daily. “Smoking is the one thing in my life that I regret starting. Now that I have quit, I don’t have any real regrets.”
Meek’s story begins in January, when she said her six-year-old son returned from school, crying and telling her “You’re going to die.”
“They learned about smoking in school,” she said. “That day, my husband and I each decided it was time to quit for our kids.”
Meek, a mother of two, called the New York Smokers Quitline, a NY State Department of Health Tobacco Control program. She heard of the initiative through Tobacco Free Chenango Coordinator James Mutabiilwa during a health fair hosted by her employer. She said she had sometimes considered quitting, but the idea of quitting didn’t hit close to home until she heard the implications of tobacco use from her son.
“The Quitline program was great,” she said. She received two weeks of nicotine patches for her and her husband, free of charge, and a brochure of tips and recommendations to help her through the quitting process. Achievable goals were set and she let her co-workers know about her goals to hold her accountable. She even went so far as to steer clear of other smokers to void herself of the temptation to light up again. “The hardest part was removing ourselves from it to get through,” she explained.
Efforts to stop smoking have really paid off for Meek and her husband, she said, in health and wallet. Not buying cigarettes has saved the two a total $5,280 in eleven months – money ultimately used to refurbish their kitchen floor, she said. “We feel wonderful and the money saved is amazing.” Despite naysayers who didn’t believe her when she said she would quit, “Everyone is very proud of us and people are very respectful of our decision,” she added.
According to the 2012 Chenango County Community Adult Survey, 58 percent of adults employed in Chenango County favor a policy that prohibits tobacco use on the grounds of their workplace. The survey also cites that 17 percent of employed current smokers in Chenango favor a smoking prohibition policy at their workplace. Mutabiilwa has represented Tobacco Free Chenango at wellness events for area employers for five years and stories like Meek’s, he said, are an inspiration.
“I think Steph’s story is great because it shows that although it is hard, one can quit smoking if they’re determined and they put in the effort,” Mutabiilwa said. “In terms of decision makers, especially elected officials, it clearly shows that New York State Quitline program is important to New Yorkers as tobacco funded programs continue to work hard to save lives and money ... It also makes us advocates feel that our outreach efforts have helped somebody, and probably saved her life.”
“You have to have the will power and a good support system,” Meek added. “If you prepare yourself, you’ll succeed.”