Beatrice R., a U.S. Navy veteran and mother of two boys in New York, tried her first cigarette at 7, her second at 11, and was smoking regularly by 13 — she had friends who smoked and wanted to be cool like them. Her story is part of CDC's Tips From Former Smokers® campaign.
Wanting to quit
More than 25 years later, Beatrice was still smoking menthol cigarettes — about half a pack a day. She wasn't a heavy smoker and hadn't been diagnosed with any smoking-related illness, but she wanted to quit, and her family wanted her to. She had tried many times.
When her son was 11, he wrote her a letter asking her to stop. That letter kept her going as she quit: she wanted to be there for her family.
How she did it
In 2010, Beatrice quit for good. It was hard, and she needed help:
- nicotine patches and other medicines eased withdrawal;
- she reread her son's letter whenever she needed a reminder of why she was staying smoke-free;
- friends online and her family encouraged her.
Life after smoking
Now 40, Beatrice has more energy than when she smoked, and she cooks more because food tastes so much better. Her advice: quitting isn't always easy and you'll need support — but above all, you have to really want to quit. Through the Tips campaign, she hopes to show people that joining the ranks of nonsmokers is possible.
Free help to quit
| Resource | Contact |
|---|---|
| Quitline | 1-800-QUIT-NOW |
| Spanish | 1-855-DÉJELO-YA |
| Chinese | 1-800-838-8917 |
| Korean | 1-800-556-5564 |
| Vietnamese | 1-800-778-8440 |
| Text | Text QUITNOW to 333888 (message and data rates may apply) |
Sources
Based on "Beatrice R.'s Story," Tips From Former Smokers® campaign, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain; rewritten in hubnx's own words.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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