Happy “Spotlight Wednesday”! Today I’m thrilled to share with you so many new success stories and milestones from the CBQ community.
Inspiring Success
This week, CBQ Quit Smoking Program member Susan Bell from Kentucky, US, celebrated 2 years smoke-free. Susan used to smoke for over 50 years and this is the longest and happiest she’s been smoke-free! “I have stopped several times in the past. Each time, I got started again because I thought “Just one smoke won’t hurt me”. But of course, one smoke led to another, led to another, and soon I was smoking like a chimney again.”
But now she’s celebrating 2 years of freedom!
This is what made this quit different for Susan this time:
“I loved the various exercises and how those practice sessions gave me the strength to follow through with quitting on my quit date. Loved the daily videos, and how comforting Nasia is on those videos, but also encouraging you to keep making progress.”
Just yesterday, Susan shared on the CBQ Method Page that she’s still thrilled with being a non-smoker! If you want, you can congratulate her here.
Inspiring Transformation
Today, CBQ Quit Smoking Program member Melissa Budworth from Queensland, Australia celebrated 3 years smoke-free! Melissa never believed this would be possible! She was a smoker for 40 years, and was told all her life she had an addictive personality. Every failed quit attempt only reinforced that limiting belief. When she first joined the CBQ Program, she kept pausing and restarting. She was doubtful she could succeed, let alone be a “happy” non-smoker.
But Melissa decided to do something very smart. Instead of thinking about her future without cigarettes, which was overwhelming, she decided to take it one step at a time. She told herself to just commit to finishing the program and doing her best. She did that, quit smoking on day 10 of the program, and was amazed at how easy it was!
2 years after her quit date, Melissa shared this:
“I smoked for 40 years. Never able to quit at any point for more than 1 day which was so hard. Never thought I could ever quit.
I brought the CBQ program. After 2 half hearted attempts (stopping around day 4 or 5) over a year I finally committed to just finishing the program. I decided that I just needed to trust the process and have a little faith.
I put a 100% effort into it. I didn’t cut down my cigarette count, I found that hard to do, but I still recorded every single smoke I had. One thing that I felt that really helped me, was that before I would light every cigarette, I would say out loud….
I am not giving up.
I am saving my money.
I am improving my health.
I am gaining my freedom.
I found that the visualisation exercises, the good bye letter and the planning of the last cigarette ritual very powerful for me.
To my surprise I actually found it easy to stop. I don’t miss it and I don’t envy those who smoke.
This time next month I will celebrate 2 years smoke free.”
And 3 years later, she’s still a happy non-smoker! This is Melissa’s selfie with her CBQ Quit Smoking Success Certificate:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Program member Joanne Campbell from England, UK, celebrated 4 years smoke-free! Jo was a smoker for 32 years and she said, “In the past I have tried to quit but as I said before it made me feel very depressed, having no self worth, what was the point in stopping smoking if I didn’t value my health or life.” Jo is not a stranger to life’s struggles. She lost her father, brother, and mother in the same year and, with that, lost her footing in life. This made it even harder to imagine life without cigarettes. While looking for ways to quit smoking, Jo decided to join the CBQ Program. She found it “surprisingly easy to follow,” and when she quit smoking, she knew it would be forever. This is what Jo shared a month after she quit smoking:
4 years later, Jo is still a happy non-smoker!
Inspiring Milestone
This week, Veteran Mike Miller from New York, US celebrated 6 years smoke-free! Mike smoked his first cigarette at 12 years old and continued to smoke for the next 50 plus years. After many failed attempts to break free, he started worrying that nothing would ever work. As Mike shared with me during his Ask An Ex interview, this is what motivated him to quit:
One day, he received a letter from his granddaughter asking him to quit smoking, and that was the moment he decided to make another attempt. He researched and joined the CBQ Quit Smoking Program, took his time in the process, and quit. Six years later, he’s still a happy non-smoker and even though his wife and many of their friends smoke, he’s never been tempted.
This is Mike with his success certificate:
Inspiring Family
This week, CBQ Program member Sarah Tawil from New York, US, is celebrating 5 years completely nicotine-free!
Sarah’s motivation to quit smoking was her health and her dream of having an amazing smile. She told me “the real reason I quit because I wanted both a nice smile and teeth. Happy to say, I fixed my teeth and have my amazing smile.”
In the process of achieving this dream, Sarah inspired her mom and they’re both now happy non-smokers!
And on her 5th year milestone, a couple of days ago, Sarah shared her update of freedom!
I hope this week’s spotlights inspired and helped you. A big thank you to all of our amazing members who gave me the permission to share their stories and wisdom with you.
To your freedom,
Nasia Davos (MBPsS, IPPA, MA)
Ex-Smoker, Psychologist, Creator of the CBQ Method™
P.S. Feeling inspired to break up with nicotine… but don’t know how ready you are to say goodbye? Take this quiz to find out how ready you are to quit smoking this year: cbqquiz.com
This free assessment will reveal your “Readiness to Quit Smoking” score, show you how close you are to success, identify what might be sabotaging your efforts, and suggest the next best step to take. It’s insightful, personalized, and quick!
