Introducing Paula Mathis, Age 51, Washington DC:

I have four children, and I stopped smoking for each pregnancy, of course. But after each of my first three were born, I went right back to cigarettes.

When my youngest was born, I went for three months without smoking. But then the weight started to come on me, so I started back smoking to lose it.

I tried to quit a few more times by myself. I would play all these mind games. I’d say to myself, “I’ll just buy one pack for the whole month.” Or, “I’ll only smoke two cigarettes a day.” I wasn’t serious.

What finally made me really want to quit was my singing. I wanted to do more solos in the choir. But, I just couldn’t get the wind. I guess you could say I wanted to sing more than I wanted to smoke. Which just goes to show, if you want to quit, it has to come from within you. The tools are there to help, but first you have to have a deep desire.

In the beginning it was tough to quit. I couldn’t believe how many things in my life were attached to smoking—my first cup of coffee in the morning, going out with friends, talking on the phone. True story—I took the phone out of my house just to help me break the habit.

It’s been eight years since I quit for good. My house doesn’t smell like cigarettes. I can climb the stairs without fighting for a breath. And best of all, I am singing solos every Sunday.