LIFE
B6 • ALEXANDRIA RECORDER • APRIL 5, 2012
Fund-raise at the track Community Recorder Are you a member of a group seeking opportunities to raise funds this year? If so, the Kentucky Speedway is looking for
help with various aspects of its race day operations. Learn more by visiting http://www.kentucky speedway.com/track/ employment.aspx then scroll to the “available race day positions” sec-
Now Open!
CE-0000504984
Now Open!
tion of the page. Completed applications can be returned by email to hr@kentuckyspeedway.com or fax to 859-567-3455.
Quitting smoking has changed my life Cigarettes were everything to me. I got up in the morning and had a cigarette with my coffee. At night, cigarettes helped me relax before bed. If I was happy, I smoked. If I was upset, I smoked. Cigarettes were always there. They were my best friend. On Oct. 1, 2011, I ended my relationship with cigarettes, smoking my last one. I am proud to say that I’m a non-smoker and have been so for six months now. I’ve kicked a two-pack a day habit that I had maintained for 46 years. My journey began back in October 2009. My granddaughter Desiree asked me to quit. I’d promised her that I’d quit for her birthday that year, and tried to wean myself by cutting the number of cigarettes that I had each day. It didn’t work. As Desiree’s 15th birthday approach last fall, I made a commitment to myself to try again. I saw an ad in the newspaper for a free program called Cooper-Clayton and convinced my daughter Kristin, who also smoked, to enroll with me.
In the back of my mind, I figured that Kristin would be the one to quit. In fact, the Lois Mullikin COMMUNITY PRESS first night, we GUEST COLUMNIST rated our confidence in our ability to quit on a scale of one to 10. I gave myself a -14. Six weeks into the 13-week program, I had changed my score to a five and started to really believe I had a chance of successfully quitting. One part of CooperClayton is nicotine replacement therapy. I used nicotine patches, which gradually step down the nicotine you receive until you are nicotine free at the end of the program. What really gave me the strength to quit was the support group aspect. The six of us in my class had such a sense of camaraderie. I felt that I was responsible to them because each was trying to quit just as hard as I was. We met on Wednesday nights. Each week, I’d leave feeling rejuvenated
to get through another week (and boy, were some of those weeks tough, like Thanksgiving…and the Christmas season). My classmates and I shared tips and tricks. For me, the hardest part of quitting was the oral fixation. I needed to have something going into my mouth. Pretzel rods were what got me through. Quitting smoking has changed my life. Once I realized that I could accomplish something so hard, I found there were other things that I could do—like lose weight (12 pounds so far) and declutter my house. Several members of my family still smoke. I’m not big on harping on others to quit. I know that they know they’d be better off as non-smokers. What I can do is to be an example. I can show them how I’m able to do more things now that I’m a non-smoker. How I’m saving $240 a month that I had been spending on cigarettes. How I feel better. Lois Mullikin, 63, of Florence quit smoking last fall after 46 years.
Turn your compassion into a career.
Enrolling now. Classes begin soon!
Daymar College 119 Fairfield Avenue Bellevue, Kentucky 41073 Accredited Member, ACICS.
859-291-0800 www.daymarcollege.edu CE-0000505514
Financial aid available for those who qualify. Various programs approved for VA benefits. For consumer disclosures, visit www.daymarcollege.edu/disclosures/
AC-0087 | 05-01-1746T
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