I’ve often heard coaches, teammates, and parents say, “Don’t quit!” and also, “Don’t be a quitter. Quitters don’t succeed in life.” I understand what the coaches mean when they say, “If you quit now, it will become a habit, and you will start quitting other things.” My whole life I’ve been taught that quitting is bad. It wasn’t until recently that I learned that quitting can sometimes be good, and in this particular situation quitting was a great achievement.

Among many habits, smoking is within the top five hardest habits to break. Since high school my dad has been a smoker. He just had his fiftieth birthday in August, so he has been a smoker for a little over thirty years. I can only imagine how hard quitting would be and the damage that many years of smoking can do to the body. When he did simple tasks like climbing stairs, my dad started to realize that it was harming his health more and more each day. He didn’t just quit for himself; he did it for his family too. He knew that second-hand smoke was a serious problem too. Whenever on vacation, he would crack a window, so the whole car wouldn’t be filled with smoke. I was asleep on a road trip, and I woke up from just the smell of the cigarette, even though the window was rolled down. Since my sister sat behind the driver’s seat, the wind blew ashes back into her face. At home, my dad went outside or in the garage when he smoked, except when he had surgery and needed to use crutches to get around. Then, he would try to go outside, but he couldn’t get around well; so he smoked in the living room. The smell was unbearable at times, not just while inside, but in the car, garage, and even outside. At times it really bothered me, so I left to go to my room or even just a different room to get away from the smell. Outside, I made an effort to stay away from being “down wind” from him. For me, hearing him cough after a cigarette might have been the worst part. I would always think, ‘You know you’re choking from the cigarette. Why don’t you just stop?’ Along with the health factors, money was a big one, too. He has saved our family over $1500 already from quitting. Since he has quit, he has yearned for a cigarette when he’s stressed or when other people around him smoking. He knows if he gives in, it will be harder for him to quit again. He stated, “When you are tempted by the smell and start to crave one, walk away!”

Three years ago, my dad decided that he wanted to quit. He has tried quitting before, with and without help, but didn’t succeed. Once, he used Chantix, a popular non-smokers aid. Chantix has many side-affects including: hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions. Always mad and unhappy, my dad experienced the hostility and agitation symptoms. Realizing that the symptoms were taking a toll on the family, he started smoking again. Until recently, around March 4, 2012, he attempted again to quit. My mom and he agreed on choosing Nicoderm, a smoker’s patch, to help him stop smoking. He went in with the confidence that was needed to help him with this task. He has been smoke free for 240 days on October 30, 2012. When he said he was going to try quitting, I was filled with joy and relief.

I am proud of my dad for what he has done. He is an inspiration to me. I try to let him know as much as possible by presents, food, signs, and balloons. On his 100th smoke-free day, we did something big for him. We had balloons and a huge 100 sign and put it outside at a place where he would see it when he left for work. We also had a big poster board and signed our names, and we all wrote how proud we were of him, which he really enjoyed.

My dad is one of the most influential people in my life and his quitting showed me his strong-willed, go-getter attitude. I can’t tell my dad enough how proud I am of him.