Looking for inspiration

If Barack can do it, I can, too.

For inspiration, I've been searching for famous people who have quit.

People who have not become dorkier or irrelevant after dropping the habit.

Senator Obama, whose captivating run for the White House has me tuned into CNN most nights, is about the only one I can find.

That's if you believe he's actually quit.

I picture him choking down two or three cigarettes after a speech, in a dark alley surrounded by hulking secret service agents who would die before giving up the secret.

I tried googling "famous people who quit smoking."

Depressingly, this was the first hit:

"Famous people who died from smoking related illnesses"

Nat King Cole

Clark Gable

Steve McQueen

Roy Orbison

Babe Ruth

George Harrison

Edward R. Murrow

Very little, though, on people who have quit and lived lives as interesting as those in this roster of the dead.

I'm 30 years old, and still have a notion I could be famous or make a difference. Laugh all you want. Indeed, some readers of this blog aren't convinced. One told me in no uncertain terms "this thing needs a plot line!" Another said, and this cuts deep, "I can't believe someone is getting paid for this story." So, okay, fame will probably pass me by.

But right now, my mind, deprived of cigarettes, is beckoning me to the corner store, where I should drop $10 for a pack of smokes, and get on with smoking and back on the road to my reserved spot in the pantheon of writers.

Sick and deluded, I know, but such is this smoker's mind in withdrawal, telling me I am nothing without cigarettes.

Can someone please find me a few heroes, people who quit and then made a trillion dollars, or wrote a great novel, or came up with a cool invention?

Maybe that vacuum cleaner guy smoked three packs a day and quit before coming up with the perfect suction technology.

Anyone?

Comments

[Erin]

It doesn't matter if you can find someone famous who has quit smoking. My parents did when I was young - and that's all that matters to me. My mum put away money - the equivalent amount to a pack of cigarettes - for every day she didn't smoke. Dad went to a hypnotist and had to listen to recordings - he ended up chewing on straws rather than eating and gaining weight. To each his own - as long as the end result is a smoke-free, healthy body! I hope this means they will be around long enough to enjoy their grandchildren.

[P]

How 'bout people who have quit are simply living better because of it? I'm sure you'd find enough around here for some inspiration.

Once you go from 2 packs a day to a smoke-free life, you'll realize quitting is probably hero enough.

Cheers.

[Kevin Riordan]

As a writer and a former smoker your amusing blog is my daily dose of scheudenfreude. However, other than getting paid to moan about it, you are going about this all wrong. Calculate how much you spend on smokes in a year.
Book a 7 day vacation for that exact dollar amount in a location almost impossible to find cigarettes (difficult but possible.) Quit cold turkey upon arrival and endure your trainspotting days of withdrawal using TV, books, food, massages, mother nature and whatever else you can find for comfort. Then return a new man with the memory of an expensive adventure unenjoyed, a body cleansed of nicotine AND guilt enough about the amount of money spent that you'll never touch a cigarette again. Take it from me: it's worked every time. ;)

[Kristen]

You have my sympathies.

As a smoker, I know I SHOULD want to quit. The best I can do is cut back. I'm a failure, I know.

Maybe one day I'll actually give it up for good. Since I'm a writer, there's a possibility that I can be that person who quit and "wrote a great novel", as you said.

Slim chances of either, but one can always hope!

[R Ward]

Instead of looking for inspiration from famous people who quit, take a look at all the individuals who never started smoking. You should find a lot to admire there. And don't forget us ordinary Joes who quit - we may not have changed the world or made a major impact, but we're living good lives (and longer ones, too)! If you really want to see dorky or irrelevant, just look who's standing in front of an office building on a -20c day puffing on a cigarette. 'nuff said...

[Jason]

What the hell do you need a "hero" for? Stop being a drama queen. Quit because of the fact they'll lead to an inevitable early death if you don't (99% of the time at least). If living isn't enough motivation for you, then you're screwed. I quit cold turkey on August 8, 2007 and haven't had a puff since.

[Lynda]

Hey, I am reading your blog with much interest.

I know you feel that all the horror stories and graphic images don't affect you. Well, I lost my mom when I was 21. She smoked for years and suffered a stroke and languished in a four month coma before passing. It was hell. She didn't get to see me get married, etc.

I am not a smoker but my addiction is food which as you are struggling with the smokes I am struggling with getting my act in gear.

I wish you all the best and hope you find a way to make it through this tremendous struggle.

[Chris H]

Good for you! I quit 1 year ago after smoking for 20 years. Whatever you want to do to quit is OK even if you need to find inspiration anywhere. Use the patch for your body and your mind for your head. You only have to quit for the next hour and maybe the rest of today, tomorrow can wait...

[Kate]

I'm with you in your epic battle, my friend. I am approaching hour 36 smoke free after 15 years as a smoker. Think of it this way: the nicotine addiction monster inside of you is trying to trick you into smoking, because if you don't smoke, it will die. So whenever your mind starts to roll down these avenues that are in reality just you trying to find an excuse to start smoking again, just shut it down and think, "I'm not going to smoke, ever again. I KNOW that is the right decision. So why bother thinking about it? Let's just move on!"

[J]

This isn't going to be the type of info you asked for, but I'm going to give you a few pointers anyway. I smoked 50/day for 30 years then quit cold turkey a few months after my Dad died of lung cancer. It wasn't easy as you're discovering; in fact it was hellish, but I made it through. It's now 11 years later and I'm a successful competitive amateur athlete (not famous though, I'm too old now). Do you have a favourite sport? If you do, start training for it…use your lungs for something productive. If not, get one, everybody has some athleticism in them. Minimize your caffeine intake, those 2 addictions feed each other. Don't sit at the desk just thinking, get up and move around if you don't have to type. Last but not least, employ a little 420 therapy towards the end of your day. Don't tell me you don't know what that means. This is only allowed if you're going cold turkey. It's an effective sub until you get over the hump. No blending of course, zero nicotine. I'm not going to wish you good luck because this isn't about luck, it's about you. Just do it. Even if you get a little freaky for a while and lose your job, it's worth it. I know you just can't visualise yourself not reaching for a smoke… I couldn't. Now I can't visualise myself needing one.

[Doug Roberts]

Oh man, did you ever make a big mistake by announcing it to the world that you are quitting. I tried that. Then after a whole bunch of failed attempts I managed to quit one day at a time, but I didn't announce it to anybody. By the time I got to the end of the first week I was ready to try for the second week, and so forth. That was in April 1981, and to this day I am only one cigarette away from a pack a day. Good Luck, quitting is worth the trouble.

[Chris McGuire]

David,
I am writing as a former pack a day smoker now 2 plus years clean.... ( I am 34 ) If you remain on this new path you will be your own hero and inspiration. Fresh Breath, confidence in yourself, smelling good, achieving something great and feeling clean is the reward your already getting. You are focussed on doom and gloom it seems and you seem to forget that we were never meant to poison ouselves like we do through smoking. In a short time your sleep will be better, concentrate better, and you will actually be a better writer I bet ( Contrary to the glamourized hollywood version of the creative smoker working away on his keyboard smoke always in hand )

Try reading Easyway to quit smoking by Allen Carr. It will help you get over these cliches and brainwashed feelings about nicotine giving so much creativity, inspiration, comfort etc.

Keep going David !!

[timothy grier]

Soon you'll realize it's not the smoke that makes a writer. It's the writing.

I quit recently -- still recovering -- after smoking for more than three decades, and I will give you this advice: if you are serious about quitting, tell your editor to stuff it and wrap up your 'quit smoking' blog once and for all. You are allowing yourself to wallow in your misery and are only making it harder to stick with it. Be a man and admit that there is nothing between you and your smoke-free goal except your own discipline -- the same discipline you'll need if you want to share a stage with Hemingway, et al.

As the farmers say, suck it up buttercup!

tim

[Michelle Nadon]

Forget about fame, forget about fortune. Saving yourself is the only thing to concentrate on right now. Don't internalize stupidity, if stupid comments are what you're getting. Stick with the winners. Just DON'T go buy cigarettes. Please. DO NOT go buy cigarettes. They suck. You're a hero. And a role model. DO NOT give in.

[Red]

Supermodels Christy Turlington and Elle Macpherson. Now there's company to hang out with!
Ben Affleck
Umberto Eco - even writers can quit

Apparently Billy Joel
Anthony Hopkins

[Tanya]

How strange that you're looking to find inspiration from someone else for something so personal. Better yet that that person be "famous". I smoked for 20 years. My husband of 10 years walked out on me and our 7 month-old baby for a mail-order bride from Russia that he had known for 2 months. Worse yet was that I had supported him for most of those years and put him through law school. I only had one retribution. And that was to life a better life. So, I quit smoking. For me, for my son. And my life is now wonderful. It wasn't the only thing that made my life great, but it was part of the whole decision to change.

I'm not famous but I am a fricking hero.

[Liz]

Me! I nominate me! I quit smoking in 2005 when I discovered I was pregnant. Labour was 26 hours long, and although it wasn't as bad as I'd feared, pain-wise, I DID bring a person into the world. If that doesn't make me heroic, I don't know what does.

Ok, so I'm not the first woman to give up smoking because of her children. But heck, I'm pretty proud of myself. Proud of you, too.

[Sydney Card]

People who quit their addictions (yes, including smoking) can say they have done something great. Continuing to smoke won't make you the next Hitchens.

[Wynne]

Hi there,

I quit smoking two years ago and at that time I was at about a pack a day for close to eight years. It takes courage and perseverance to quit (as cheesy as that sounds) - and on top of that I found that at my lowest times I had to feed from the gut of my soul reasons as to why I want to quit and truthfully have the utmost desire to quit.

Good luck to you and YES it is possible - there are better ways of dying than from smoking.

Cheers,
Wynne

[Rick]

Hello David;

I am happy to see that you are going the smoke-free route. You said you are looking for someone famous who has quit smoking. Do me a favour, look into the mirror. In this mirror you will see your hero. Quitting is hard, no bones about it but IT will get easier. You will notice a big difference in your life, from the the lack of "smoke odour" to the clean taste of water, yes water!
The biggest thing is that you will be smoke free!

[B]

A coworker just pointed me towards your blog today. I too have quit the famous "death stick" and have been writing notes about it on my facebook (6 weeks in, 4 weeks without a smoke). I would like to give you a simple piece of advice for quitting.

Do whatever you have to to quit. Find a hero, slap a patch on your arm, chew gum, take up running in the morning, ANYTHING to put that cigarette down.

I see alot of people saying "you don't need a hero" and "suck it up" in your comments... quite frankly, that's wrong... Do whatever it takes, find whatever works for you to drop the HABIT... because remember, yes, you are addicted to nicotine, but you are also addicted to the HABIT of lighting up a smoke.

I can tell you personally, the patch helped me deal with the nicotine for the 1st 5 days. 2 packs of Gum a day helped deal with the habit, and the sport of paintball helped deal with the frustrating moods that seemed to come with nicotine withdrawal. But what worked for me, may not work for you. Find what does, then stick to it!!

[JT]

I understand where you are coming from. Good for you for reaching out for inspiration to keep you going. It's your way of coping - we're all different. Being inspired by "heros" for motivation is not new and pushes all of us. Since quitting the nic I have competed in many triathlons, half marathons and am training for my first full marathon and I have my work cube plastered w pix of Ryan Hall, Brian Sell and runner friends.

Put a mirror up in your cube. You're the hero and inspiration to those considering quitting right now. If you inspire just one, it'll be worth it! You're winning and don't know it yet.

[OwenMeany1]

David.

It is 8:44 a.m. And I have already have had 3 cigarettes.
Awaking this morning at 6:57 a.m. I immediately said to myself, “Don’t go downstairs to make coffee and have a cigarette.” I wasn’t even fully awake, I don’t even think I realized who I was or what day I was waking to.
There once was a time when rolling out of bed used to be fun and energetic. In my younger years I had a zest for the day and now at 44, waking with a feeling of a a mild hangover that I have gotten used to and it has taken over me, I feel more like an unhealthy 64.
I, having smoked now for 30 years, know it is having, and taken a huge toll on my health.
When did this happen to me?

At 7:01 a.m. there I was hovering over the coffeemaker, “Just make one cup,” as I got the coffee was brewing, mechanically I went around and opened all the blinds on the main floor. Living in a wonderful old house in the country with and amazing view of fields and rolling hills. It breaks my heart that I didn’t even stop to look at the day, the birds, the sky, my mind was off I am on auto pilot.
As I flicked on my computer, and dialed up the Internet on my way to pour a cup of so I could have my first fix for the day.

7:03 a.m. I am sitting down at my computer, in a daze having my first fix, and rinsing the toxins down my throat with a black coffee.

7:05 a.m. I have my second fix, coffee almost gone, and I finish reading your blog/article.

Sadly , I am sorry to say, (or maybe not as you will see) that I find it very superficial, and I can‘t relate, to what you are saying, it is like a fluff “lifestyle” piece very Entertainment Tonight or People Magazine.

Very harsh critism, I think, “Why is this guy looking for inspiration from outside himself?”

“Does he not see that people are actually looking to him for inspiration?”

“If he could just get real about his addiction?”

At 7:11 a.m. I reach for my 3rd fix for the day, and all of a sudden, for some reason the smoke cloud cleared as I realize what I am doing, I wish I could put it back, I don‘t.
But something has awoken me, with a violent clarity, the addict that is occupying my body this morning up until this very moment, doesn't want me to be aware of what I am thinking and is projecting on to your article.

That it what is truth to me, inspiration must first come from within.

It dawned on me that addict within me also; didn’t want me to not go downstairs and make coffee first thing,
didn’t want me to stop for a moment to look out the window at the beautiful day.

The real me is always struggling so hard to find a voice and be heard, struggling to breathe free, struggling to regain the lost energy.

Dammit, who the **** was this addicted person who took over my body this morning?

It would appear on the outside looking in that 2 personalities exist inside this head of mine.
The one a little frightened of writing and exploring my addictions, “Me” of sound mind, body and soul;
And the one on who is intrigued by my writing this, “I” of unsound mind, body and soul.
It is the auto pilot who will takeover, every chance it gets in order to go from fix to fix.

At 8:44 a.m. At the moment I am not reaching for a fix.
I know that the addict in me has a very loud and irritating voice, “give him a fix and he will shut up.” It says, but the awake person in me knows the more he gets his fix the more he will get his way to put me on Auto pilot.

It would appear that I is out to kill me.

How is that for inspiration?

[Antonia]

''Dwight Eisenhower who rolled his own, sustained four packs a day, but quit cold turkey before his presidency. Lyndon Johnson used three packs a day until his heart attack forced an end to the habit. ''

http://www.usatrivia.com/apmsmoke.html

Ronald Reagan hawked cigarettes but I don't know that he smoked them.

http://www.usatrivia.com/apmsmoke.html

As for Clinton, there was at least one cigar.

[Chris]

Ok...i smoked for over 28 years at least a pack a day and quit Jan. 22/08 at 18:18...is it hard ohhhh yeah....but here is a helping hand for u....look up Alan Carr - Easy Way to Quit Smoking....I have done the rounds from the gum to chimpix.. this book is the only thing that helped me....Good Luck!!!!

[Jamie Browning]

I've unexpectedly just found someone who fits the bill: relevant, creative, former smoker*... (and interestingly, he doesn't use the word "quit" either)

On MySpace there's a place to indicate one's current mood with a short message, and I had updated my band's page last night to include a reference to having stopped smoking. I woke up this morning to find a message from Pee Wee Ellis.

*He's at the end of his 3rd week smoke free and I'm at 2 1/2 weeks, so I guess it's a wee bit early for us all to be patting each other on the back TOO much, however I can't tell you what his message has done for my own resolve.

If you were at his recent Hugh's Room concert you'd know what I'm talking about. If you could have seen the silly ass grins on the faces of his back up band of local musicians, who all stood around on stage, smiling and laughing, long after he'd left, like they'd all been struck by not lightening, but by enlightenment...

And Pee Wee's rooting for us all. I've copied (with his permission) our exchange below. So let's all think positive thoughts for & about each other. Don't be "Chicken" to stop smoking. Even if you spend the next while in a "Cold Sweat" it will be worth it in the long run!
(And for anyone who doesn't get my very excellent puns here, Google is your friend)

MySpace Exchange:

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Pee Wee Ellis
Date: 24/02/2008

Hey Blues Element, good for you... I just quit and feel so much better.. I'm at the end of my third week and doing fine. OK, it's a bit rough at odd times. but that's to be expected. If you go in knowing that will happen from time to time, it's much easier to overcome. And just know you can overcome.

Maybe we could start a 'Support Group' on Myspace to inspire and encourage others to go for stopping ...

I played a gig the other night and sang a song that use to give a problem with the high notes.... Amazingly, there was no problem at all, and it actually felt good to have a result I contribute to the fact that I'd stopped smoking...

Forgive me for going on about this, but I know help any way it comes is a good thing.

Luck,
Pee Wee Ellis

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Blues Element
Date: Feb 24, 2008 5:11 PM

Thanks so much for your message and words of encouragement.
I didn't know you smoked - how on earth could you play so well? Where do you get the breath?
I was at your last concert in Toronto at Hugh's Room. Iain (Blues Element's other half) was your drummer for the evening. What an amazing show. So hard to imagine those lungs full of smoke.
One of the writers for the Toronto Star is also quitting and he is writing a blog about it.
http://thestar.blogs.com/quitter/
In a recent post he said he was looking for inspiration, a hero - someone who had managed to quit and was still cool, relevant, etc.
May I share your message with him?
You would be an amazing role model.
Simply hearing from you about this has doubled my resolve!
Thanks Pee Wee!

Jamie

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Pee Wee Ellis

Date: 24/02/2008
Subject: RE: Stop Smoking

Hi Jamie, by all means share my message with him, and anyone else you think would be interested. Best of luck to you guys.. A favorite quote of mine is ,"never give up giving up".... Thanks for getting back to me, and say hello to Iain...
Pee Wee