Hi, welcome to the You Can Quit Smoking podcast, where we go over stories of success with overcoming smoking addiction. Many people have moved through this radical transformation and use smoking as an opportunity for inner growth, with deeper self-awareness and a greater capacity for compassion. So many have done it and you can quit smoking, too. I'm your host, Jessi Hartnett, founder of Honor Your Heart.

Jessi:

Hey everyone, welcome back. I'm here today with Shaun. Shaun, can you introduce yourself?



Shaun:

My name is Shaun. I'm glad to be here on the podcast and glad to share my journey about being a reformed smoker. Hopefully, it contributes to helping somebody out.


Jessi:

Right on. Thank you so much for being here.


Shaun:

Yeah, thanks for having me.


Jessi:
You can just launch right into your story, maybe starting where you picked up smoking, what it was like for you, how you ultimately ended up quitting, and what life's been like since moving on.


Shaun:

So, I was a teenage smoker, like a lot of folks that got into it. I always thought that I would never pick it up. And then a good friend of mine started smoking and it just kind of happened one day. He's like, "Hey, let's smoke these cigarettes." Similar to your experience, it was nasty at first. I didn't like it. It stunk. I coughed a lot. And then, you know, I just stuck with it.

Next thing I knew, I was like, "Hey, let me bum a smoke." And then it was, "Hey, let me buy my own pack so I don't have to bum any smokes." And then it was, "Hey, let me buy a carton so I always have some on me." And it just kind of happened over time.

So, I smoked for 10 years total from when I was 16 to about 26. Afterwards, I vaped for 10 years too. So, 20 years. I stopped all of it in 2021. I was able to quit finally.


Jessi:

Congratulations.


Shaun:

Yeah. Thanks.


Jessi:

That's a big turnaround from 20 years of nicotine.


Shaun:

It's been a journey. Yeah, for sure. It just controlled so much of my life. I was always thinking about “When am I going to get my next cigarette?” Like, I would wake up and literally what would get me out of bed was to go have a cigarette. It's really kind of sad when you think about it because you know I'm a father and a husband and like what got me out of bed was getting my first cigarette. And that's not to be dramatic for a non-smoking podcast. It’s the truth. It just controlled so much of my life. I would be in a public place or out with friends and I would think, "Oh man, I got to break away so I can have a smoke real quick." I'm just glad that it just doesn't control my life anymore.


Jessi:

Totally. So that's a huge benefit of stopping, is that freedom. What are some other benefits you've noticed?


Shaun:

So I'm a runner. Well, step one of being a runner is to call yourself a runner. So, I don't know how good of a runner I am. But I'm enthusiastic about it and I try. When I was at probably my peak running was when I smoked. And I thought, "Wow, I'm this, you know, great up and coming runner who smokes and I can run in spite of the smoking." But really, it was holding me way back. When I switched to vaping, I thought that I found a loophole where I could still vape, smoke, whatever nicotine, and get away with it.

And not to beat the Covid drum here, but when 2021 happened, it took me a while, but I got Covid. And I felt so incredibly bad. And I was one of those people that, I'm not saying like I was Covid denier or anything like that. I'm not going to go down that road, but I thought, “Okay, it's a cold, big deal.” Well, I was vaping at the time and could not breathe. I couldn't catch my breath. And I was a young guy. I was like mid-30s and it scared me.

Getting Covid, actually experiencing the breathing problems, I said to myself, “ I got to stop this. I have to stop letting smoking and nicotine rule my life and really hurt my health.” And it was no amount of people telling me, "Hey, you got to quit. Hey, you'll feel better." None of that worked. I had to feel it and I had to experience it. And so I did. I said, "You know what? I'm kicking this for good." And I was serious about it.

And ultimately what helped me were the nicotine lozenges. Maybe that doesn't work for some people. I tried the gum. I tried the patch. I tried all that. But the lozenges really helped. And eventually I was able to wean myself off of it and then I switched to like regular mints. Then I was able to kick it finally.


Jessi:

That sounds really scary; not being able to breathe.


Shaun:

It was pretty scary. Yeah. So about the same time I did a sleep study because I thought I had maybe had sleep apnea. So I wanted to get checked out and it was during that time. I don't know if it was a psychological thought of being hooked up to the machine and then also struggling to breathe and I was like “Man, I’ve got to quit smoking. I’ve got to quit vaping. I’ve got to quit all this mess for my health.”


Jessi:

Were you feeling lung troubles before you got Covid?


Shaun:

Only when I was running to the extreme. I mean extreme for me, you know, several miles at a time. I would feel some lung…. not fatigue, but like the burning sensation in my lungs. I would feel winded. I knew it was the smoking, right?


Jessi:

Yeah. I used to wake up coughing some stuff that no one should have to see come out of their body, you know?


Shaun:

That's right. Yeah. The lung butter. That's right.


Jessi:

Yep. So, don't miss that. You did lozenges. You cut back. Did you kind of wind up vaping as a way to quit?


Shaun:

Yes. I was getting ready to move up north. I was living in the Virginia area at the time and I knew the cost of cigarettes was significantly higher. And I thought, “Well, this would be a great way to save some money.” Because compared to cigarettes, it was way cheaper. And then I thought, “Oh well, I'm not inhaling the tar anymore, so I can use it to try to quit smoking.” And I felt some short-term benefits. I felt like I was coughing less. It didn't hurt as bad to run. But like I said, eventually I ran into the issues when I got Covid and it kind of compounded the negative health effects that I was feeling.


Jessi:

Because yeah, I've heard that is a thing that some people do and it works for some people. Most people get hooked on the vape. So…..


Shaun:

That's what happened. That's what happened.


Jessi:

What were the times that you would smoke and vape? When did you have your cravings? What was kind of your habit? You mentioned when you'd wake up. So you'd have that first one. Did you use it to regulate emotionally or did you do it in times of stress or was it just something that was like part of the backdrop with everything you did?


Shaun:

Yeah, all of those things. Smoking triggers would be when I wake up and after a meal for sure. That was always a big one. Kind of before I would start anything, right? Like so before I would go out. I wouldn't smoke in the house. So if I was getting ready to go somewhere, I have to go out and sit out on the porch. Or I'd have my coffee and I'd smoke a cigarette.

I was also at the time on a ship. I was in the Navy and the work stress kind of fueled my smoking. It was also a way to get a break as well. You go and smoke before you’d get started on some big project. Or if you were at the end of a long workday, you could just kind of go blow off some steam in the smoke pit.


Jessi:

With quitting and transitioning out of it, what did you do to use in those moments? Those moments where you need to take a break or you're having your coffee. How did you get through that adjustment? Did you find new ways to cope with stress or to keep your hands busy? What kind of helped you get through that? And what do you use now?


Shaun:
So, it's been a few years now since I've quit. About 4 years.


Jessi:

Nice.


Shaun:

And I don't get triggered often. Probably the worst thing that would trigger me now is if I'm watching a movie or a show and they're smoking.


Jessi:

Yeah.


Shaun:

Oh man, that's tough sometimes. But then I'll remember I'm like, "Oh yeah, I felt like crap when I smoked." So, it usually passes after a while.

But one of the things that's really helped me is… oh I call it spicy water, carbonated water, Waterloo, Topochico, stuff like that. That kind of spicy sensation. I drink those fairly often. Maybe that's almost been sort of a substitute, but I don't have to have it. It's just it's more of a treat than anything else.


Jessi:

Oh, that's funny because I've actually gotten hooked on those this summer real bad.


Shaun:

That's good. Yeah, get hooked on the water. Yeah, you know, hydro homies.


Jessi:

Okay. So, you kind of like can tune in with your body a little bit and see like, “Oh, I just kind of want something a little bit pleasurable.”


Shaun:

Yeah, that's right.


Jessi:

I'm interested too with what you mentioned too with people smoking in the movies.


Shaun:

Mhm.


Jessi:

Was that maybe part of your interest in trying out smoking? Did that influence you at all?


Shaun:

It could be. So, I started smoking at 16 and I was in high school at the time. I had a car. I thought it was a fast car, but it wasn't really that fast. So, I thought I looked cool. You know, I had a cigarette in my mouth and driving my car and I was a grownup. You know, that's what I thought. I'm sure I looked ridiculous in my clapped out old car smoking. Like, give me a break. Yeah, that was all part of it.


Jessi:

Yeah, I definitely wanted to look cool. I tried my first cigarette after watching Fight Club. I don't know if you've ever seen that movie.


Shaun:

Oh, definitely. Yeah, that's mandatory viewing. I've seen Fight Club.


Jessi:

Yeah, they smoke from like start to finish in that movie and I was like, “I kind of want to try a cigarette. I wonder why?”


Shaun:

Yeah. So yeah, if you're trying to quit listeners, don't watch Fight Club. And don't watch Good Fellas. Don't watch any of those awesome movies with all the smoking.


Jessi:

I do better with it now, like you said. When you can kind of play it out and be like, "Oh, yeah, that really wouldn't feel great." Or sometimes I'll see it like, Peaky Blinders, they are always smoking in that and it's just like, "Yeah, I'm glad I don't smoke anymore." Because that's brutal.


Shaun:

That's right. Yeah, Peaky Blinders for sure. Yeah. So I tried to trick myself and lie to myself and I thought, "Oh, okay. Well, I'll switch to Black and Milds. And I'll just smoke a little cigar from time to time.” Then it turns out, “Oh, I'm smoking five of these a day. I'll just have a cigar every once in a while.” And then it's every day. Or I'll get some dip or what is it they have now? The little pouches.


Jessi:

Zyns.


Shaun:

Yeah. So, that was kind of after my time, but they had like snus. I'm not really sure how to pronounce it, but I tried it all. And at the end of the day, it's nicotine and it's going to keep you addicted and coming back.

And if you're really serious about quitting smoking, like you have to have a plan, I think. And you have to have the will to want to break free from it. Otherwise, you're not really taking it. I don't want to say taking it seriously because that sounds kind of harsh. But having a plan will help you to be successful. And that's what it took for me to actually quit. I was like, “Okay, I'm going to get these lozenges. I've got a plan of when I'm going to pop them, when I have these triggers.” And then you kind of have a plan to get off of whatever. You don't have to use lozenges. You could use whatever. But I tried cold turkey, too, and that just kind of felt like a punishment. But yeah, just having a plan, I think, is what finally helped me to quit.


Jessi:

Yeah, I can see that being really helpful because it kind of gives you a little bit of sense of control. Because I don't know if you had that but I would lean heavy on smoking for that kind of sense of control. I was like, “Okay, I'm going to work my workday and then after I get to have that cigarette and I have this many left. And it was a little bit obsessive compulsive now that I see that.


Shaun:

That's right.


Jessi:

So I think when you have a plan that helps keep the mind occupied like “Okay you can organize and plan and list this way.” I see that as being helpful. I actually went cold turkey myself.


Shaun:

Nice.


Jessi:

I don't really think it matters, like that anyway is better. I know some people wear it like a badge. As I'm talking to more people and hearing more stories, like any way is valid. I got respect for people however they end up quitting.


Shaun:

Yeah. I think it's great what you're doing here trying to help people. And just kind of talk about it right because everybody is a little different. And I remember hearing stories of people cold turkey. I would get discouraged because I'm like, “I can't. That's not realistic for me. That's not going to work for me." And what you said resonated with me a little bit is like, "Yeah, it doesn't matter." You know, just whatever it takes to get you to quit. Whatever works.


Jessi:

Totally. And I'm wondering, so you heard stories. Did you know people that had quit?


Shaun:

I knew some people had quit, but they were kind of older people. Like my grandma had smoked for I don't know how many years, and she had quit. Just older folks. None of my peers really were quitting at the time.


You know, there's always kind of the bad joke. You tell someone, "Hey, I'm trying to quit." And they'd say, "Oh, nobody likes a quitter."


Jessi:

Uhhuh.


Shaun:

That doesn't help. Maybe I just had a not great support system around me. But I felt like my friends at the time were giving me a little bit of a hard time because they wanted to continue to pal around and joke around in the smoking area at work.


Jessi:

Did that change your relationships then?


Shaun:

I mean, I didn't cut anybody out of my life or anything like that, but it changed my habits for sure at work. I mean, no pun intended. But some of the normal chatter that I would hear in the smoking area, I mean, I just wasn't around for it anymore. Because I found that going out, I tried that, too. I tried to go out there and just kind of hang out, but you're smelling it, you're seeing it. And I don't recommend to somebody trying to quit that you put yourself in that vulnerable position where you might want to smoke because it's too easy just to grab one.


Jessi:

Right. Yeah, sometimes it's tough if you live with other people that smoke. It's like what are you gonna do, you know?


Shaun:

Right. And you smell it, you see it. It's tough.


Jessi:

I think that paints a really good picture of how you got through it. I'm wondering if you have any final words for somebody that is listening. For somebody that is still stuck in it, wants to get out. Maybe that’s on the fence. Maybe they’ve tried and not been successful.


Shaun:

Well, I think for anyone who's listening; the fact that you're listening to this podcast is a good sign that you're curious about quitting. You're serious about it. You're trying to find resources and methods that work for you. And that's good. And don't lose that.

Even if you try a hundred times and it doesn't work. Your health is worth it. The people that you care about and the people that care about you are worth it and just keep at it. Like it's not a contest or comparison. It doesn't matter what your reasons for quitting are. Like they're valid and that's good. And just don't be discouraged if you don't get it right the first time. That's okay.


Jessi:

Wise words. Thank you. Well, I appreciate you coming on and telling us about your story. And it could be exactly what someone needs to hear. Because we're all unique and we can all find our own way just with some patience and persistence, I think. So, thank you.


Shaun:

Yeah. Thanks for having me.


Jessi:

All right, everybody. See you next week. Take care.


End of interview.

Jessi:

I hope today's story inspired you as much as it did me. When we hear stories like this, it's a powerful reminder that change is possible. If you're ready to start taking those steps for yourself, I'd love to help.

I put together a free minicourse called How to Survive a Craving to help you access tools to get through temporary cravings and hold fast to your true desire to quit smoking. This course is the stuff I wish I knew when I was practicing quitting, and I've put what worked for me in one place for you. You can grab the minicourse right now by visiting honoryourheart.net/craving.

Until next time, remember to treat yourself with kindness and to cherish the gifts of your heart. I'll talk with you soon. Thank you.

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