Madison C., MN

I was one of the millions of adolescents that big tobacco companies successfully got hooked on nicotine. When I was 17, I stole one of my mother's cigarettes and immediately, I was hooked. I eventually switched from cigarettes to vaping thinking that it was the healthier option. 

By the time I was 20, I couldn't go one night without waking up in a rage of coughing and shortness of breath. I felt so afraid when I couldn't breathe. I knew that I was going to die without ever graduating college, finding love or having children.

It took me three years to quit vaping. Within those three years, I spent countless nights crying on the floor feeling hopeless that I'll never be able to stop vaping for good. There were many, many times where I would work up the courage to throw my vape away, only to dig for it in the trash hours later or walk across the street to buy another one. At one point, my boyfriend bought a lock box to keep my vape device in during the day and he would take the key with him to work. Relentlessly, I would spend hours breaking in to the safe while my brain repetitively screamed to me that I needed it.

Little by little, I was able to reduce my use each day until eventually I was able to throw away my vape and not buy another one. The first few months without nicotine were hard; I was irritable, uncomfortable, and scared, but determined to get my life out of the grip of nicotine.

There were times that I caved into my cravings and used my friends vapes and would immediately feel overcome with guilt. However, I learned to recognize that my triumphs outweigh my temporary failures. I learned to identify what places and activities triggered my cravings for nicotine such as driving to work, drinking a morning cup of coffee, or doing homework, and replace the act of vaping with something else like hard candy or suckers. With each day it became a tiny bit easier to let myself feel the craving and to let it pass.

Today, I am free from the jail of nicotine addiction; and boy, does it feel good. As time goes on, the better I can breathe. It feels good to get lungs full of air. It feels good to not feel so tired. It feels good to get through my work shift or grab a drink with friends without being overcome with the abrupt and persistent urge to use a vape.

I am proud of myself for overcoming what was going to kill me.

I hope that my story will inspire someone to start their journey to live a life free of nicotine addiction. I hope that it will inspire someone to join the fight to take down big tobacco and protect our people from being killed for money.