When Jeff Petersik decided to quit smoking by making a call to the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line, he knew it was long overdue.
“I had been smoking for over 10 years, and I was getting sick more often,” said Petersik, a Milwaukee resident. “So it was mainly for my health. I wanted to live longer and not be sick all the time.”
Petersik made his quit attempt in fall of last year, and help from the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line made it successful.
“The most challenging part was just how addictive tobacco can be. It’s hard to stop, which is why it took me 10 years to finally quit. But my doctor was able to prescribe Chantix, which helped a lot,” Petersik said.
Petersik reached out to the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line before he was officially ready to quit, but said that the resources provided to him made the whole process easier.
“They have a lot of options available regardless of where you are at,” Petersik said. “They have a lot of stuff to provide to you even if you’re only thinking about quitting and not ready to actually quit yet.”
To those thinking about quitting, Petersik urges current smokers to call the Quit Line sooner.
“Just give them a call. They’re great.”
All tobacco users can get free help to quit by calling 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669).