Quitting My Smoking Habit for Good — 40 Years of Gratitude

More than 40 years free of tobacco

It’s easy to quit smoking. I’ve quit lots of times. Sometimes I quit for a week or two, sometimes I quit for a month or more, and many times I quit only for a day or two. Even though I wanted to quit permanently, the craving for a cigarette persisted. Especially if I was in the company of someone who would light up a cigarette. I would ask for one and start smoking again.

I tried switching to a pipe. The result was that I smoked a pipe as much or more than I previously smoked cigarettes.

Then one year we decided as a family to visit Boston for the Annual Meeting of The First Church of Christ Scientist, also known as The Mother Church. My wife is a member of the Christian Science Church, and I had been attending Christian Science Church services with her for four or five years. I deliberately left my pipe and tobacco at home when we began the trip.

After attending church services at The Mother Church and heading home, I realized that I had not thought about smoking while in Boston. And I had no desire to ever again smoke a pipe or cigarette, or any other smoking or tobacco device. I was healed of smoking, and never again had a craving for tobacco.

That was over forty years ago so I consider my healing to be permanent. I’m most grateful to God and Christian Science for my healing.

–Buzz Bartlett