It has started....

Martin Luther King Jr once said "I have a dream". Turns out I do too, mine is to be a non-smoker and to drag as many of you along with me as I can.

The Tobacco Cessation program offered by Reid Hospital started on Monday, "Learn to Live Tobacco Free", I spent that hour meeting and getting to know the facilitator and my fellow smokers. We talked and shared a little bit about ourselves, and formed a comradery. We will be the support for one another through this journey of living tobacco free. We spoke of what has us wanting to quit, the hold tobacco has had on our lives, the challenges we face, and what we plan to do about it. I won't lie, there's emotion to this. There were a few tears, and no, they weren't all mine.

We were told in the first class on Monday, that we will be setting a quit date, and we need to start writing down when we smoke, and why we think we're doing it. The challenge has been set...I've got my notebook, I've started writing, and I've set my quit date. Since I've never been fond of Valentine's Day that's the day I'll be a quitter, I'll give that day and my life a positive spin. I'm ready for this.

If you're like me, you're embarrassed you ever started smoking to begin with, let alone dropped thousands of dollars on such a dangerous habit. If you're like me, you're ashamed of the example you are setting for your children, the people that mean the most to you. If you're like me, you want to feel better, and be healthier. If you're like me, you're determined to change. If you're like me...you're going do it. We'll do it together.