James F.’s Story

James F.’s Biography

James’ father was well-liked and influential in the community. He also smoked menthol cigarettes. So James’ attempts to be more like his father naturally included smoking menthol cigarettes, starting at age 14. He recalled that the other African American kids he knew who smoked also used menthol cigarettes. But 30 years later, the damage from smoking started causing him health problems, and eventually James decided to quit.

Now 48, James has been smokefree for 2 years. He says quitting was hard—patches and sugar-free gum helped him—but his health continues to be a big motivator. Since he quit smoking, James has been able to make other important changes to improve his health. He became an avid cyclist, and began riding several miles to see his doctor at the VA hospital, “…a real accomplishment for me.” Now that he sees a doctor closer to his home, he still makes a point to ride 9 or 10 miles every day for exercise. He also enjoys swimming and does some sort of cardio exercise every morning.

James wanted to participate in the Tips From Former Smokers^® campaign to send a message to people who think smoking isn’t going to hurt them just because they haven’t experienced a smoking-related health problem yet. He says if you smoke, you should quit.

“I want to help people like me quit smoking—people in their 40s. Maybe nothing really bad has happened to them yet,” says James. “Maybe you’re lucky, but you’re probably not going to stay lucky.”