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Another Reason Not to Smoke: Quitting Is Hard

Wed, 01/16/2008 - 4:30pm by FitSugar
1,181 Views - 22 comments

Even though we like to scoff at celebrities and say they have everything so much easier than we do, quitting smoking is rough no matter who you are. Katherine Heigl, well-known as a heavy smoker, recently talked to the Washington Post about her troubles with quitting. And guess what? It's not easy even for her. Here are highlights:

"It's so stupid. I started when I was like 22 or 23, and I had my first cigarette at a bar one night, and I was like mmm. I'll try this. I can have just one. I am not gonna get addicted. Then you start bumming. I'm bumming. I don't buy my own packs. I'm not addicted."

"Then you go through something that is hard or difficult or stressful and you buy your first pack and it's all over, and now it's all about how you're going to quit," she says. "I've tried everything."

"I've tried Wellbutrin," a drug also used to treat depression, "which made me really happy while I smoked. Tried the patch. Tried gum. I hate the gum. It burns my mouth. I think I have to quit the old-fashioned way."

So there you have it. Obviously it's best not even to start in the first place, but if you're struggling with quitting, you're certainly not alone. Here's hoping that Katherine, and all smokers, finally nip it in the butt.

Pacific Coast News

View Photos: katherine heigl

22 Comments Add a Comment

  • MandyJoBo's picture
    MandyJoBo
    2

    Sometimes the easiest way to quit is the hardest way: cold turkey. It's the most reliable, too. Even after you quit smoking, you never lose the urge to smoke. You may not have it as often, but it comes and goes. It's a life-long struggle from the time you buy your first pack. Just don't do it, people.

    46 weeks 1 day ago Report Comment
  • emalove's picture
    emalove
    4

    Aw, I relate to Katherine...it IS hard.

    I quit cold turkey, but I know that doesn't work for everyone.

    46 weeks 1 day ago Report Comment
  • AbSugar's picture
    AbSugar
    5

    I'm surprised to read that Katherine was in her twenties when she started smoking. I had the impression that heavy smokers started in their teens.

    46 weeks 23 hours ago Report Comment
  • Spectra's picture
    Spectra
    7

    This is why I'm really pissed that my brother just recently took up smoking and now puffs a pack a day. He's gonna regret it when he wants to quit in the future.

    46 weeks 22 hours ago Report Comment
  • clareberrys's picture
    clareberrys
    8

    I'm so glad she has something that isn't "perfect" about her. I don't know why but I really don't like her - she doesn't seem like a person I would want to hang out with. And now there is finally something out about a bad thing that she does! Sorry to be evil!!!:-/

    46 weeks 21 hours ago Report Comment
  • catander's picture
    catander
    9

    I am so glad that I never started smoking! It makes me physically ill. Almost all my friends smoke, however. I think it's an awful habit, but judging them won't help them quit.

    46 weeks 21 hours ago Report Comment
  • jessy777's picture
    jessy777
    10

    When I was 18 I smoked for the whole first year of college and then when my mother found out she threatened to disown me, my grandfather died of lung cancer, and from the moment I have not lit up again. I quit w/o aid and I think it was easier because I had only been smoking for a little over a year. My friend has tried everything to quit but hasn't been able to kick it. She is trying again and I have faith this time she will be able to do it. Hopefully in the new year everyone will come to their senses and realize that the dangerous toxins they are putting in their bodies is bad for their health, our health and the environment's health. Good luck!

    46 weeks 11 hours ago Report Comment
  • kc17nov's picture
    kc17nov
    11

    I really think a person has to WANT to quit. As gross as it is, people who smoke like to smoke. I always wanted my boyfriend to quit but I never nagged him about it because if he tried quitting just because I wanted him to, I knew he'd fail. But, he finally felt ready last August and hasn't smoked since! He used the mints and that worked for him. He still wants to light up sometimes but he knows how nasty it is. I think Katherine will quit if and when she's ready and that's the best way to assure you stay a non-smoker.

    46 weeks 10 hours ago Report Comment
  • jlana's picture
    jlana
    12

    I haven't smoked in a while, but when I'm stressed, the urge to do so is overwhelming.

    46 weeks 10 hours ago Report Comment
  • msshellokitty's picture
    msshellokitty
    13

    I'm glad Katharine admitted how hard it is to quit smoking.I've been smoking for almost 10 years and I know how hard it is quit.It's not that easy.People judge smokers but it's not something that person in their 20s does to be cool or anything.It's an addiction and it's not that easy to quit.

    46 weeks 9 hours ago Report Comment
  • kissmesteph's picture
    kissmesteph
    14

    I was the same as Katherine was. I started smoking the odd time at the bar or whatnot, and then suddenly I wasn't bumming smokes, I was buying my own. I keep trying - and sometimes it last for a few months, and then I get stressed about something and start craving them again. Quitting is really tough!

    46 weeks 9 hours ago Report Comment
  • ilanac13's picture
    ilanac13
    15

    i'm so glad that i never became a smoker- i really think that it's a gross habit. my boyfriend smokes and everyday i tell him that not only is he hurting himself but he's hurting me - and he's smoked for soo long that i'm sure it would be HARD for him to quit.

    46 weeks 8 hours ago Report Comment
  • deedee0782's picture
    deedee0782
    16

    this is such a crock. if you want to quit, just QUIT. i honestly feel like ppl who complain about not being able to quit and having tried 'everything' just dont have the will power or the want to do it.

    i smoked from the time i was 17 to the time i was 25. it got to the point where i was smoking a pack and a half a day. the wrinkles around my eyes got bad, my BOOBS started to sag bc nicotine breaks down collagen elastin, my gums were receeding. it was gross.

    i wanted to quit, i knew i had to, and that if i didnt i never would. i did NOT want to be pregnant at 35 and have to quit then. so i sucked it up, grabbed myself by the 'balls' and i quit. i havent had a cigarette in 8 months and i am proud of myself.

    'i smoke when i drink' or "i am stressed out i need a cigarette' are all cop outs. if you want to quit, you can quit. i did it cold turkey and i was a very heavy smoker. there are no excuses in my book. you need will power. a lot of ppl are too weak.

    46 weeks 8 hours ago Report Comment
  • smarler's picture
    smarler
    17

    Quitting smoking is hard. In fact, it's the main reason why I will never, ever smoke again--because I do not want to suffer through quitting ever again.

    46 weeks 7 hours ago Report Comment
  • AMP's picture
    AMP
    18

    Ugh, I can't stand her. But I'm glad I never started smoking!

    46 weeks 6 hours ago Report Comment
  • designergirl's picture
    designergirl
    19

    I haven't smoked since New Years, and it's hard. Especially since smoking was my "replacement" addiction for bulimia. You have to really, really want to stop. I know that the patch doesn't work for a lot of people, but it has really helped me. It's getting easier not to smoke everyday.

    46 weeks 3 hours ago Report Comment
  • koreansugar's picture
    koreansugar
    20

    i quit cold turkey and have been off since. going 4+ years now. can't say i don't crave it from time to time. Hardest thing i've ever had to do. unfortunately my sister still smokes and now looks 7 years older than me. Definitely hard to quit. I wish all the quitters the best in succeeding.

    45 weeks 5 days ago Report Comment
  • snowbunny11's picture
    snowbunny11
    21

    I'm so glad I don't smoke...I have no willpower, I can't imagine how I'd quit. Congrats to everyone who has managed to quit!

    I'm not the hugest Heigl fan, but I found this part of her interview pretty funny, "I've tried Wellbutrin," a drug also used to treat depression, "which made me really happy while I smoked."

    45 weeks 4 days ago Report Comment
  • marley11's picture
    marley11
    22

    for the longest time i've been disgusted with katherine heigl because of her smoking but hearing what she has to say i feel bad. we all become victims of nasty habits at one point in our lives. i only wish her the best of luck, sincerely!

    45 weeks 4 days ago Report Comment

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