Introducing Solomon Luckett, Age 48, Richmond VA:

Solomon Luckett, a 48-year-old resident of Virginia, started smoking at age 10 after growing up watching his father smoke. Solomon used to think smoking made his father look cool, so Solomon learned by picking up his cigarette butts and trying to smoke them. He became a pack-a-day smoker for almost 12 years and continued while he was in the army.

In his work as a health care professional, Solomon regularly saw the noxious long term effects of cigarette smoking. Caring for people that had emphysema, COPD, and other lung ailments, he became worried about his health. . One year Solomon made a New Year’s resolution to quit for good. That same year, he became extremely ill with bronchitis and ended up in the hospital for several days – where he couldn’t smoke at all. When he got better, he made a conscious effort not to pick up another cigarette.

Solomon knew that the key to successfully quitting for good was to break his old habits, like smoking after having a good meal or a drink. He kept telling himself how bad smoking was for him and that he didn’t need to smoke. His first step was to stop buying cigarettes, which wasn’t easy. He used to walk into a store (out of habit) to buy them and walk out empty handed. He said it was difficult to fight the cravings, but he was able to do it.

Now, he has been smoke free for over 20 years and has learned to deal with the cravings. Since becoming an ex-smoker, Solomon has noticed that he breathes easier and knows that his health would be a lot worse today if he hadn’t stopped smoking. Solomon supports the Quitter in You© campaign because he says it is a “necessary program to get people to re-evaluate their habit.” His advice to people who are trying to quit is that they can do it by utilizing the resources available to them through the American Lung Association.

To get support for the quitter in you, go to quitterinyou.org or call 1-800-LungUSA.