Project Description
Crystal, ON, Canada
Length of Smoking: 30+ yrs.
Amount Smoked: 1 pack (20 cigs)
Quit Day: 3rd day of the program
“I had several packages of cigarettes with me because I didn’t know that I could quit. I had a full package of cigarettes on my table the whole time I was here, and I honestly never craved it. I never desired it while I was here at the program… It was really easy to quit smoking while attending Fresh Start. I don’t know how it happened. It was just so easy.”
Improvements with: Quit Smoking, Breathing/ Lung Issues, Low Energy/ Fatigue, Relationship Building, Self-Identity Redefining, Spirituality/ Connecting to the Soul.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Frustration with inability to quit. I've been smoking probably since I was 13, so heavy smoker for over 30 yrs. I was really frustrated and did not enjoy smoking. I was a daily smoker. My first thought in the morning was to have a cigarette before anything, probably before I even had my coffee made. It really, really had a hold on me, and I just did not want to live my life like that. It was a coping mechanism. You feel a little stressed, you feel a little sadness. If I didn't smoke, I probably would have weighed five hundred pounds because I may have eaten. It was definitely a coping mechanism. Ignore what you really don't want to deal with and just smoke. | The heart healing was big. It really helped me understand why I smoked, why it comforted me the way it did and I just grew so much that I could think for myself and not need that distraction. I really learned a lot about myself, my true power. I learned to not be codependent and enmeshed. I learned not to blame other people for my shortcomings or my struggles. It wasn't them. It was my work to take care of. As a smoker, I know it's you can't ask somebody else to quit. You can't tell somebody else it's poison. It's we know that as a smoker, right? So it was really an awakening for me. Program encompasses all: mind, body, soul. These are parts of us that we neglect and mask. |
| Impact of smoking on daily life. It separates you from the good things in life. You don't taste your food, as well breathing was labored. I didn't look to exercise, necessarily, because it wasn't enjoyable; I'd rather have a cigarette. | I find as a non-smoker for 2.5 yrs, after I quit smoking, I enjoy group activity... I still feel like my lungs are healing the second time around... I feel cleaner and lighter. I'm happier, I have more energy. |
| Relationships suffered. I really think I just hid behind cigarettes. I didn't have to engage because I could smoke. | My relationships are richer. My relationships are pure, wholesome. |
| Fear of Cravings. I had several packages of cigarettes with me because I didn't know that I could quit. I had a full package of cigarettes on my table the whole time I was here, and I honestly never craved it. | When I came here, I smoked three days into the program. The third day I quit. I never desired it while I was here at the program. Yeah, it was very easy to quit while I was here. |
| Desperation. It was just one evening at home and I started crying. What my life is going to be. I didn't want to smoke anymore. But how do you quit that? How do you, how do you stop something that is like really a crutch, something you hold on to? | It was really easy to quit smoking while attending Fresh Start. I don't know how it happened. It was just so easy. I feel a great amount of joy in my life. Yeah, giving up cigarettes is definitely quite a joy. |
Experience Highlights:
- I enjoyed everything about the program: the food, the heart healing, fitness, the yoga… it’s an all-encompassing and really beautiful program. It’s just like a big hug.
- Program encompasses all: mind, body, soul.
- I take away more joy and peace in my heart, and it makes me a bit emotional.
The information above is based on the following resources:
- Unedited Video Testimonial Materials
- Before and After Self-Assessment
- Program Participation and Progress Sheet
- Emotional Wellness Test
Disclaimer : Results of participants differ and the Fresh Start cannot guarantee that you will experience your improvements in the same way as in this testimonial. The Fresh Start is not an allopathic medical facility and does not claim to either diagnose or treat any disease. The Fresh Start does not guarantee a recovery from any specific disease or a health symptom.
