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Glimpse of future leads man to quit smoking |
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Saturday, January 10 2009 |
By PATTY WEYBRIGHT
Whitley County
Tobacco-Free
Everyone has a time in their life when they assess the good, bad, and ugly in their lives, especially when it comes to bad habits. Dave Cleland of South Whitley recently had his. After 30 years of lighting up, Dave finally said enough is enough. He has puffed his last cigarette. It isn’t that he hasn’t tried before, he’s just never been as motivated as he is at this point in his life.
It all began with another terrible bronchial illness. Coughing, hard to breathe, difficulty laying down, shortness of breath. He finally said “he got it.” He realized if he kept doing what he was doing by smoking more than a pack of smokes a day, that this was going to be his future. It seemed to him that he was getting more and more chest colds and bronchial illnesses, and feared he was leaving himself wide open for further damage and disease like emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and continual loss of breath.
He saw his family physician who gladly gave Dave medication to help ease the withdrawal of the physical effects of the nicotine. Dave’s family was thrilled. His kids, now young adults, told him how proud of him they were.
A lot of his co-workers at Whitko High School were optimistic that Dave had the drive to quit this time. But those who worked closest to Dave were also skeptical that he would be able to keep it up for any length of time. They knew how addicted Dave was to the routine of his habit.
This has been the toughest part for Dave. Changing up his routine and doing things differently so that the desire to smoke doesn’t return. The worst time for Dave, as with many smokers, is first thing in the morning. The ritual most all smokers experience as they get ready for the day. Dave has had to change his day a bit to help the urges that accompany the habits. But it really all boils down to your willingness to succeed. Dave says he takes more walks, and has begun to use the high school’s weight room to help burn off any extra calories he’s added since he quit. (He says food tastes better now since he quit.) He’s had to learn how to eat better to avoid the extra pounds, and the weight lifting and walking has definitely helped.
He says one of the main reasons he thinks he’s been able to be successful is all thanks to his former brother- and sister-in-law, Brian and Krista Lickey. They are the ones that have inspired him the most to be smoke free. As former smokers themselves, they continually encouraged Dave to quit and get on the road to better health. He said that years ago , they all smoked together, but when the Lickeys quit two years ago, they kept telling Dave how much better they felt. “Now,” Dave says, “I know they were right!”
When I asked Dave what the most positive outcomes there have been since he quit, he said without hesitation, “The money I’m saving and how much better I feel!” He also is very aware of how much better his clothes and home smells since he quit. “It’s amazing when someone walks by me now, I know they are smokers. It’s so obvious. The kids who smoke before coming to school aren’t fooling anyone either. It’s such a strong and obvious smell.”
Dave really wants to be able to tell the kids he sees every day at the high achool that they really should heed his advice. Don’t start! That way you’ll never have to stop.
He tells me he knows it will always be a constant battle, and that the urge is always there, but it gets less and less with each passing week. I had one last question for Dave. “Any negative reasons you have found to quitting?”
“If there is one, I haven’t found it yet.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, January 13 2009 )
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