Stop smoking more easily — Rebecca's story

"I smoked my first cigarette when I was 15”

I smoked my first cigarette when I was 15. The reason was that I'd had one of the worst days of my life. My father was a smoker, and out of emotion and sadness, I stole a cigarette from his pack. That was the start of my descent into hell.

By the time I was 16, I was a regular smoker. It didn't help when I started dating a boy who was also a regular smoker. When you get into the habit of smoking more than once a day, it's harder and harder to think about quitting this poison. Besides, we didn't have to worry about money because his mother always bought cigarettes for us. It was just too easy.

"I used to smoke a pack a day”

The first time I tried to quit, I was 25 and smoking a pack a day.

I had just started nursing school. For some reason, I realized how bad it was for my body. One day the elevator broke down and I had to take the stairs to the fourth floor. By the time I got to class, I was so out of breath that I had to wait several minutes to catch my breath.

"I was done with cigarettes"

I have to say that I didn't really prepare myself to quit smoking. I got up one morning and told myself I was done with cigarettes. I threw away the rest of the pack I had that evening. It seemed more complicated to me to stop smoking in the middle of the day than to start all over again the next morning.

After I quit, I was in a bad mood. I got angry easily and had strong cravings for at least two weeks. These were symptoms I had prepared for before I quit. I also told the people around me that I had quit smoking and asked them to be patient with me during this difficult time. My family and friends were all patient and respectful with me during my withdrawal.

"It was a routine I had for 10 years”

I still have cravings. But they're very different. I crave the first cigarette in the morning. I find it hard to drink and not smoke, but it's not because I'm craving a cigarette, it's because of a habit, a routine that I've had for 10 years. I've always lived with cigarettes! Today I know that a single puff of a cigarette would taste unpleasant, despite the sensation it gives me, and that's enough to prevent me from starting again.

I've relapsed in the past. Until you're ready, I would recommend staying away from other smokers. For me, 3 months wasn't enough, and I learned that the hard way.

I started drinking water whenever I felt like smoking, it gave me something to do with my hands.

How Kwit helped me quit

I was looking for a smoking cessation app and came across Kwit.

I love the fact that it keeps track of the number of days and the number of cigarettes I have not had each day! I enjoy learning new things through the "Explore" tab of Kwit. I like knowing how my body reacts and recovers. It gives me extra motivation to convince myself that I've made the right decision to quit smoking.

When I can visualize how long it's been since my last cigarette and how far I've come, it gives me three extra seconds to think before I go out and buy a pack. Those three seconds make all the difference to me.

Things to remember

Rebecca's story is a perfect illustration of the transformative effects of quitting smoking, as her account reveals how Kwit served as an invaluable ally in helping her overcome the complex challenges associated with tobacco addiction. Thanks to Kwit's personalized approach, Rebecca was able to not only break the cycle of addiction, but also restore her physical, mental and emotional well-being.

There's never a perfect time to kick a bad habit or start a healthy one. What if now was the right time? Download Kwit!

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