Happy “Spotlight Wednesday”!
Today, I’m excited to share with you some of this week’s most inspiring success stories and tips from the CBQ community.
Let’s dive in!
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Andy Huff from Georgia, US, celebrated 5 years smoke-free! Andy smoked for 35 years after picking up his first cigarette at 19. Over the years, he tried patches, gum, lozenges, vaping, and even Wellbutrin. Some methods helped him cut down, but nothing helped him stop smoking for good.
After being diagnosed with COPD, Andy came across the CBQ Program. He joined and worked through the lessons at his own pace. As he continued, he began building something he had never had before: confidence that he could actually quit.
For months, he kept moving his quit date forward. Then he made a decision. Father’s Day would be his last day as a smoker. On June 20, 2021, Andy smoked his final cigarette and quit for good.
When Andy celebrated 2 years smoke-free, he shared his story in our Ask An Ex interview. In this conversation, he shared how quitting improved his health, and the advice he would give to anyone who wants to quit smoking.
Watch the full Ask An Ex interview here:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Joy Aelbers from British Columbia, Canada, celebrated 4 years smoke-free. Joy had smoked her entire life and spent 30 years actively trying to quit.
When she discovered the CBQ Program, she had doubts and fear of failure. But she took a leap of faith and did every step of the 12-day process.
The result? She quit smoking, and her life transformed. Joy feels healthier than ever. She’s taken up bike riding and even completed a 10K walk/run, things she never imagined doing before.
Here’s what Joy shared about her journey:
4 years later, Joy is still a happy non-smoker! This is what she shared recently:
This is Joy with her CBQ Success Certificate:
Inspiring Success
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Joe Wilson from England, UK, celebrated 5 years smoke-free! After smoking heavily for 25 years, Joe quit smoking on June 20, 2021, on Father’s Day.
He also wrote a goodbye letter during the CBQ Program in the form of an amazing poem, and listed all the reasons he didn’t want tobacco in his life anymore.
Here it is:
Two fingers to the Toxic Trickster
Goodbye, good riddance
You’ve always been my go-to
When I need to take time out
To switch off, to relax with
To run away to and explore my doubts
Farewell, Adieu
You’ve always been a poisonous reward
A void in my routine
A sewer of escape to nowhere
But spiralling around in a cycle of despair
Ta-ra duck, I’m done
Cos you’re just not right
For me, at all, any more
I cannot keep going
back and forth with you
Szia, we’re over
I hate how I’ve had to plan
My day, my life around you
It’s distasteful how you’ve made
My mouth taste so monstrous
My gums gone infected
My teeth rotting in their sockets
I’ve been such a Muppet
But now I see the hold that you’ve held over me
The trick on my mind that I need you to exist
But I don’t, I never did
Two fingers to the toxic trickster
I’ve outgrown this toxic relationship, here it ends
I choose to be present, for my family and my friends
Clean lungs, full of energy, free to be me
No fear, no worries, an incredible future I can see
All you’ve ever brought me is trouble
I hate the regret
I’ve decided it’s time for me to move on
And be smoke-free again
As I was when I was born
I deserve for me to be free
A happy non-smoker
Now I’m putting myself first
I’ve dismantled you as a limiting belief
Your illusion’s totally burst
You have no power, over me, any more
So don’t call
Two fingers, to you, Toxic trickster
And that’s all
Sincerely, your ex
The authentic Joe says so
Thank you for sharing this, Joe!
5 years later, Joe is living his best life and is still a happy non-smoker! This is Joe with his CBQ Success Certificate:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Charlot Juroshek from Montana, US, celebrated 2 years smoke-free! When Charlot joined the CBQ Program, she committed to following the process step by step. Along the way, one exercise had a particularly powerful impact on her: visualization.
Each time she smoked, she imagined exactly what she was putting into her body, seeing every puff as black, gooey tar coating her lungs. By Day 3 of the program, she felt ready to stop smoking, and she did! Then she completed the rest of the program as a non-smoker to make sure she never goes back.
2 years later, Charlot is still a happy non-smoker!
This is Charlot with her CBQ Success Certificate:
Inspiring Milestone
Today, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Lee Fletcher from England, UK, celebrates 4 years smoke-free! Lee smoked for 32 years, starting with his first cigarette at age 15.
He had used patches and vapes in the past and even stayed smoke-free for about eight months. But eventually, cigarettes found their way back into his life. As he shared: “In the past I’ve tried to quit using patches and vapes and succeeded for about 8 months, but because I was still entertaining nicotine in my life, I think it was only inevitable that sooner or later I’d be back on the cigarettes. Which is exactly what happened.”
That realization changed the way he looked at quitting.
Wanting a different outcome, he kept searching for other ways to quit and found the CBQ Program. He committed to the process. And on a Friday night at 11:45 PM, he smoked his last cigarette.
4 years later, Lee is still a happy non-smoker. This is what he shared today:
This is Lee with his CBQ Success Certificate:
I hope today’s spotlights inspired you and showed you that you can also break free! A big thank you to our members who gave me permission to share their stories 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 actually do it? Take this quiz to find out how ready you are to quit smoking or vaping in the next 30 days: cbqquiz.com
This free assessment will show you your “Readiness to Quit Smoking” score, identify what might be sabotaging your efforts, and suggest the next best step to take. It’s insightful, personalized, and quick!
Take The “How ready are you to quit smoking?” Quiz Here
