Happy “Spotlight Wednesday”!
In this spotlight, you’ll find some of this week’s most inspiring success stories and tips from the CBQ community!
Inspiring Story
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Angela Battista from Massachusetts, US, celebrated 3 years smoke-free!
Angela smoked for 48 years and tried everything from nicotine gums and patches to going cold turkey. She joined the CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program in 2021 but life got in the way and she never completed it.
Then she was diagnosed with mild emphysema which made breathing hard and she risked being put on oxygen. In September 2023, Angela committed to completing the program. And then everything changed.
On the last day of the program she quit and never looked back.
Most importantly, despite having mild emphysema, Angela was told by her doctor just six months after quitting that she no longer needed a follow-up. Within her first year of being smoke-free, she also noticed an improvement in her breathing!
3 years later, Angela is still a happy non-smoker! This is Angela with her CBQ Freedom Certificate:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Hoa Ngoc Dieu Nguyen from California, US, celebrated 3 years smoke-free!
After smoking for 10 years, Hoa never thought she would be able to quit. She had tried to quit 4 times, and each attempt made her believe quitting would be difficult.
Still, Hoa wanted to be free. She started looking for a different way to quit and found the CBQ Program. Even though she was skeptical, she took the step and joined the program.
Hoa moved through the program at her own pace, giving each exercise her full attention. By the time she completed the lessons, she felt ready to leave smoking behind.
On September 6, 2023, Hoa smoked her last cigarette. Since then, she hasn’t craved smoking at all, even though her husband still smokes. She also became more productive, started exercising, and began eating healthier. As Hoa shared, “It feels so foreign to me now and I don’t crave smoking at all! My life has become more productive and I started exercising and eating healthier.”
3 years later, Hoa is still a happy non-smoker.
This is Hoa with her CBQ Freedom Certificate:
Inspiring Perseverance
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Diane DeBuse from Tennessee, US, celebrated 3 years smoke-free!
Diane had tried to quit many times before but always went back to smoking. After a bad cold left Diane struggling to breathe and needing to visit the emergency room, she knew she needed to make one more quit attempt.
While looking for ways to stop smoking, Diane came across the CBQ Masterclass. As a retired special education teacher, she was already familiar with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy through her work with students, which gave her hope that this approach could help her and decided to join the CBQ Program.
As Diane went through the program, she stayed committed to becoming smoke-free, even when the process took more time than she expected. She kept learning, practicing, and understanding how to handle difficult situations without smoking.
With those tools in place, Diane felt ready to quit. On September 8, 2023, she quit!
3 years later, Diane is still a happy non-smoker! This is Diane with her CBQ Freedom Certificate:
Inspiring Milestone
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Tracy Brown from Ontario, Canada, celebrated 4 years smoke-free!
Tracy started smoking at 13 and continued for almost 47 years. At 60, she felt controlled by smoking and knew she had a decision to make: continue her love hate relationship with smoking or quit.
Determined to make a change, Tracy began looking for a way to quit smoking for good without feeling deprived. She came across the CBQ Program and decided to join.
As Tracy went through the program, she fully immersed herself in each day’s steps. She stayed with each lesson until she felt ready to move on to the next, taking the time she needed to understand and apply what she was learning. By the time she completed the program, Tracy was ready to quit, and she did!
This is Tracy with her CBQ Freedom Certificate:
4 years later after her quit date, Tracy is still a happy non-smoker and looks and feels better than ever! This is what she shared recently:
Inspiring Achievement
This week, CBQ Nicotine Freedom Program member Roy Starke from Ohio, US, celebrated 5 years smoke-free!
After 42 years of smoking daily, Roy quit all nicotine without withdrawal symptoms.
When Roy celebrated 3 years smoke-free, I had the pleasure of interviewing him as part of CBQ’s Ask An Ex series. In our conversation, Roy shared how he quit smoking with the Cognitive Behavioral Quitting (CBQ) Program and why he’s proud to be a “quitter” of both nicotine and alcohol.
You can watch Roy’s full story here.
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
