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I doubt very much that I would have ever quit smoking if I hadn't spent a night in intensive care after being unable to breathe. It started at dinner time when I was having a lot of trouble catching my breath. So, I went to the emergency room and was admitted to the hospital's ICU.

I'd had trouble breathing before, but that was usually associated with the presence of a dog. I was very allergic to dogs. Exposure to a canine usually required going outside and taking a few hits of a Bronkaid inhaler - something that smokers use to open up the airways in the lungs.

The inhaler wasn't cutting it that night, hence the ICU. With an automatic blood pressure machine hooked up to my right bicep, and a drip connected to my right wrist, it was the typical tubes and wires deal. I had everything but the respirator. Instead, I got periodic treatments with a nebulizer, which is a device that provides a misty solution of medicine that opens up the airways.

Unable to sleep with nurses checking in on me every 15 minutes or so, somewhere in the middle of the night it dawned on me that someone who has trouble breathing might want to quit smoking. This Duh! moment is the best thing that ever happened to me. It was twelve years ago and I haven't had a cigarette ever since.

It turns out that I have an unusual immune system condition that attacks the lungs and kidneys. It is controllable with medication and I've never had any recurrences. My condition has nothing to do with smoking, but it made me quit.

I smoked for almost 30 years, ever since high school. My wife still smokes, and
cigarette smoke still smells good to me. The idea of lighting up still has a lot of appeal. Odd as it may seem to a non-smoker, the desire to smoke never quite leaves an ex-smoker. But I haven't lit up because I picture myself back in the ICU. Despite the excellent care, that is not a place I ever want to see again.

I don't recommend this technique to anyone. Being unable to breathe is really frightening. But if I hadn't had this experience I'd most likely either still be smoking to this day or I'd be dead by now. I much prefer being alive.

Learn more about this author, Bruce Pilgrim.
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