Butting out created a morning person

I used to be fixated on cigarettes. A friend of mine, who would light up in the middle of lunch, told me one day he'd quit with X Smokers' help.

I figured if an inveterate smoker could quit, X Smokers might be able to help me. I enrolled in 1987 after 22 years of smoking. It changed my life. I became a morning person. I used to need three alarm clocks and at least an hour to get going in the morning; now morning's the best part of my day.

When I started, it was "in" to smoke, then it became unfashionable. But I tried quitting dozens of times and couldn't make it past three days.

X Smokers showed me how to change smoking rituals and habits. More important, I learned to think like a non-smoker. While still in the program, I learned to cope with any situation that might make me want to smoke in the future.

Peggy Stewart