Tiffany R.'s Story: Quitting Menthol Cigarettes for Her Daughter

Tiffany R. was 16 when her mother died of lung cancer. Watching her mother suffer was terrible, she remembers; she felt alone and frightened, and felt the death could have been prevented. Even so, in her late teens, surrounded by classmates at college who smoked and wanting to fit in, Tiffany started smoking menthol cigarettes herself. Before long she was smoking about a pack a day. Her story is part of CDC's Tips From Former Smokers campaign.

Tips From Former Smokers: Tiffany R. and Sharon A.'s Ways to Quit commercial. CDC.

A connection across generations

Tiffany tried to quit several times over the years. What finally made her serious was her own daughter turning 16 — the age Tiffany had been when she lost her mother. She did not want her daughter to believe that her mother cared more about cigarettes than about her. She quit for good in 2012.

How she did it

This time Tiffany planned her quit:

• She set a quit date and asked family and friends for support. They sent encouraging cards, helped her stay positive, and called to remind her of all the reasons never to smoke again.
• She changed her mornings. Instead of getting up an hour early for coffee and a cigarette, she slept an extra hour.
• She cleared out temptation, getting rid of every cigarette and ashtray in her home and car, and for a while avoided social events where she might want to smoke.
• She carried a photo of her mother, especially on long drives, to remind herself of what her mother went through.
• She used a nicotine patch properly. In earlier attempts she had worn one for only a few days; this time she read and followed all the instructions, which eased her cravings.
• She drank plenty of water and exercised more, and soon found she had more energy and stamina without cigarettes.

Her motivation

Her daughter has remained her greatest reason. When Tiffany quit, her daughter was overjoyed and proud, and told her mother she had prayed that she would stop. Tiffany told her she had quit to be around for her — and that she could not bear the thought of missing any part of her daughter's life as she grows up.

Help to quit

Free help is available by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), or by texting QUITNOW to 333888.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tips From Former Smokers, "Tiffany R.'s Story": https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/stories/tiffany.html
• Tiffany's own words are paraphrased here; the campaign's photographs are not reproduced.
• Words on this page from people and organisations outside the federal government are paraphrased; rewritten in hubnx's own words.
• The film is the agency's own low-resolution copy, recovered from the Internet Archive's record of cdc.gov.