First, a little backstory—I can be very impulsive. Not because I want to be, but because success has always felt like a mountain to climb. When I was younger, my bipolar symptoms were at their worst, and I made a lot of poor choices. Not only did they affect me, but they also hurt the people I care about.
This story is about a big milestone for me—my one-year anniversary of quitting cigarettes.
Now, I wasn’t your average smoker. I was a 2-3 pack a day kind of guy. Safe to say, I was very addicted. But over the years, as I grew in understanding my mental health, I also grew stronger in the way I approached challenges. I realized something important about myself: I’m an “all or nothing” kind of person. There’s no in-between—not even slightly.
Reaching any goal in life becomes much more likely when you have a strong reason to keep going. For me, that reason showed up as early breathing issues. At 51 years old, after smoking for a solid 30 years, that scared me. I had quit before—twice, actually—for about a year each time. But life threw me curveballs, and I picked the habit back up.
The difference this time? I didn’t let that reason fade away. I held onto it.
In the past, I tried all kinds of smoking aids. Cold turkey wasn’t for me—I knew that. Nicotine patches worked a couple of times, but not the third. I gave gum a shot. It helped, but something still felt off. Then I remembered my brother had used nicotine lozenges and it worked for him. So I figured, why not give it a try?
Turns out, that was the missing piece for me. The lozenges worked. And while yes, I’m still using them a year later, I haven’t smoked a single cigarette. That’s a win. And I’ll take it.
My goal now is to start weaning off the lozenges, but the most important part is this: I quit smoking. I broke a 30-year addiction. And that’s something I’m proud of.
If you’ve read my earlier post about being 15 years sober, you’ll know I’m not here to preach. I just want you to know this: If I can do it, so can you. You don’t have to follow my path. Your way might look totally different—and that’s okay. Whether it’s doctors, counselors, medication, or a combination of things—just start.
Start your change, your journey. And whatever you do, don’t give up. Take the wins when they come.
