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Anne G., age 36, grew up in Hawaii and started smoking cigarettes at age 15. She smoked for 10 years. Anne struggled with depression and anxiety. She smoked because she thought it helped her cope with big changes in her life, such as multiple moves, her parents’ divorce, and her father’s health issues.

When her father got sick with a terminal illness, Anne took care of him. After her father died, Anne’s depression worsened.

When Anne was 25 years old, she began thinking about how smoking was impacting her health, finances, and relationships. She cut down on the number of cigarettes she smoked each day for the next three months. She smoked her last cigarette after dinner on a Friday night.

Quitting smoking inspired Anne to find a job she loved as a tobacco treatment specialist. She started eating healthier and exercising. Anne began spending time with friends who did not smoke. She also found new activities, like yoga, working out, and taking smokefree walks with her dog. Anne enjoys walking because she’s grown fond of spending time in nature. Her family was so proud of her new life, especially her sister, who is one of her biggest supporters. Anne is the happiest she’s ever been with everything she’s gained after she quit smoking cigarettes.

“Quitting smoking was the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done,” she says.

Anne met the love of her life three years after she quit smoking. They got married, and now they have a young daughter. She is committed to giving her daughter the smokefree childhood she didn’t have.

Anne G.’s Biography

Anne G., age 36, grew up in Hawaii and started smoking cigarettes when she was 15 years old. She smoked for 10 years because she thought it helped her deal with some big changes in her life, like too many moves, her parents’ divorce, and her father’s health problems. When she was a teenager, she stole cigarettes from her parents and smoked them with her friends. She struggled with depression, and the constant going back and forth between her parents’ homes made her feel even more depressed and worried. She started smoking because she thought it would help her cope.

“They felt like my best friends,” Anne says. “Smoking was that thing I felt I could go to when the people in my life weren’t there for me.”

When her father got sick with a terminal illness, Anne took care of him. When he discovered that she smoked cigarettes, he was really sad and upset. “I remember him saying to me, ‘Are you trying to break my heart?’”

After her father died, Anne’s depression worsened. She started drinking a lot of alcohol and smoking more cigarettes. Her family was worried about her and encouraged her to seek help, so she went to a psychiatrist. She started medication, but she still smoked.

When Anne was 26 years old, she began thinking about how smoking was impacting her health, finances, and relationships. She cut down on the number of cigarettes she smoked each day for the next three months. She smoked her last cigarette after dinner on a Friday night.

“I was by myself on my patio, and I called that cigarette a fake friend,” Anne recalls. “I wanted a new life without smoking.”

Quitting smoking inspired Anne to improve her life in many ways, including eating healthier and exercising. It also led her down a career path of working in health care as a tobacco treatment specialist. Anne began spending time with friends who did not smoke. She found new activities, like yoga, working out, and walking with her dog. Anne enjoys walking because she’s grown fond of spending time in nature. Her family is so proud of her new life, especially her sister, who is one of her biggest supporters. Anne is the happiest she’s ever been with everything she’s gained after she quit smoking cigarettes.

“Quitting smoking was the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done,” Anne says.

Anne met the love of her life three years after she quit smoking. They got married, and now they have a young daughter. She is committed to giving her daughter the smokefree childhood she didn’t have.

“Every child deserves a start in life without being exposed to tobacco and its harms,” Anne says. “I feel really proud that I’m never going to expose her to secondhand smoke.”

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