One year without cigarettes: Stéphanie tells the story of her new life

As the " Month Without Tobacco" campaign, a national collective challenge to quit smoking for 30 days, kicked off on November 1st, Stéphanie, a woman in her forties from Arc-en-Barrois, shares her story. She quit smoking just over a year ago.

The third time's the charm: Stéphanie, 45, is convinced of it. Since August 2024, this healthcare professional from Arc-en-Barrois hasn't touched a cigarette. "I feel so much better! That's all behind me," she says. She learned a lot from her two previous attempts. "I tell myself that maybe it wasn't the right time, or that I hadn't fully understood the reasons that drove me to smoke," she confides.

After acupuncture in 2010, which had brought her a nine-year break, it was hypnosis in late 2023 that triggered her realization. While her sessions with a practitioner from Chaumont didn't have an immediate effect, Stéphanie gradually reduced her consumption. The ten or so cigarettes she smoked daily eventually dwindled, to the point that she decided, in the summer of 2024, to quit altogether.

“I realized it was an escape for me, a moment I allowed myself in our hectic lives. This habit was a way to connect with my smoking friends in the evening, or to fill a lull in a somewhat dull conversation,” she explains. “The first time I started smoking again, I was going through a really stressful time. I thought it would help, but not at all. On the contrary, as I got older, I felt physical effects that alarmed me. I was tired, short of breath, and I had lost a lot of weight,” she recalls.

Above all, her consumption had increased. Her craving had intensified, as if to make up for lost time. The increase in tobacco prices and the graphic health warnings on the packs had no impact. Ultimately, it was thanks to her willpower, aided by the decrease in the number of smokers among her friends and family, that Stéphanie found the strength to quit.

“When no one smokes much at parties, among friends, it makes things easier,” she admits. Her partner has taken up vaping, “which doesn’t appeal to me at all,” and her nieces have also started to quit. And she was ready. In short, everything was falling into place.

“Besides, I never told my children I was a smoker,” she continues. “For me, there’s a kind of shame involved. How can I constantly remind them that smoking is bad for their health if I don’t follow that advice myself? I wanted to set an example, to be credible, and I’m truly delighted to have managed to quit.” Her cough has disappeared, and her face is “more relaxed.”

Only the extra weight she's gained is still bothering her a little. But she insists: it's worth it. "It's doable, and I'm living proof. Willpower is essential, but you have to be kind to yourself. Just because you don't succeed the first time doesn't mean you'll never succeed."

Delphine Catalifaud

Launched in 2016, the national smoking reduction program celebrates its tenth anniversary this month. The efforts have not been in vain, as the number of daily smokers aged 18 to 75 has decreased by 4 million in ten years. Even though the Grand Est region remains among the three regions with the highest smoking rates (19.8%, behind Occitanie at 20.6% and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur at 20.9%), it fell below 20% for the first time in 2024 (26.8% in 2021).

After 30 days without cigarettes, studies show that the chances of successfully quitting smoking increase fivefold. Last year, 9,800 people participated in the "Month Without Tobacco" challenge in the Grand Est region. This support is simple and free: just register online at https://mois-sans-tabac.tabac-info-service.fr/. Each participant then receives a quit kit with a 40-day program, a free telephone consultation with a tobacco cessation specialist, and access to various resources and support groups to help them find support throughout the challenge.