He Couldn’t Quit Smoking on His Own

If at first you don’t succeed, get yourself some support

Carrots to the rescue

When Tina and Rob Kern of Whitehall were quitting smoking, they learned to eat a healthy snack instead of giving in to the tobacco urge. Nibbling on a carrot or apple keeps a smoker’s hands busy and pays added benefits in good nutrition.

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He couldn’t take it anymore—Rob Kern needed a cigarette! Trying to quit his daily pack-and-a-half habit was hard enough for the 36-year-old Whitehall man. But the added emotional stress he felt after the death of his father put him over the edge. He caved in and bought a pack of cigarettes.

It’s not uncommon for would-be quitters to fail, says tobacco treatment counselor Dianna Mulhern of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “Nicotine is an extremely addictive drug,” she says. “Stress, your daily routine, the taste of certain foods and drinks, the smell of cigarette smoke—any one of these can trigger a relapse.”

If you’re in a similar bind, don’t despair. There are resources out there to help you. Support from family and friends, advice from professionals, and nicotine replacement products all significantly boost your chance of quitting for good.

Luckily for Rob Kern, he had all three. His wife, Tina, also was trying to quit when she witnessed his relapse. “I didn’t get mad because I understood what he was going through,” she says. “Instead, I reminded Rob why we decided to quit and said we would get through it together.” With those words of encouragement, Rob crushed out his cigarette and threw away a full pack. “This is a great example of why married smokers are more successful at quitting than divorced, widowed or never-married people,” Mulhern says. “Personal support makes a difference.”

The Kerns also got professional support through Lehigh Valley Hospital’s Tobacco Treatment Program. Mulhern had a wealth of quit-smoking strategies. For example, she advised them to thoroughly clean their bedroom and car (two places where they frequently smoked) to remove the tobacco odor. “It smelled so nice afterward, we didn’t want to smoke there anymore,” Tina says. They also beat the craving by eating healthy snacks, drinking plenty of water and going for walks instead of lighting up.

The last piece in the puzzle for the Kerns was the nicotine patch Mulhern provided them. “I tried to quit once before but wasn’t successful,” Tina says. “But once I began using the patch, I remember thinking, ‘This is not so bad.’ It made a huge difference for both of us.”

The Kerns haven’t smoked in more than a year. Even their cravings are gone. Tina noticed an improvement in her sense of taste and smell, and Rob says he’s breathing easier. “We couldn’t have done it without each other and the professional help we received,” Tina says.

Want to Know More? To schedule an appointment or to find out more information, call 610-402-CARE (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday).

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