Article January 1, 2003 ISSUE

"I am a somebody — without the cigarettes”

Sixteen-year-old Inga Fortanier, of Aichwald, Germany, opens up about how she quit smoking.

interview by Michael Pabst

How old were you the first time you tried a cigarette?

I had just turned 13 and was starting a dance class. There were several people there who smoked, and they would offer me cigarettes. I thought, I “Sure, why not?” So sometimes I had one.

So you started more out of curiosity ...

Yes, exactly. Everybody said, “Oh, smoking is great.” So I thought, “Well, if they all think it's so great, then there must be something to it. I've really got to try it sometime.”

And did you feel great when you smoked?

Yes, I did, actually. I thought it was so cool. It was something different.

Did it taste good?

No, not really. But at some point I had a second, and then a third, and so on. When I was with people who smoked, they'd offer me a cigarette during dance breaks and at the pubs. Then my smoking increased so much that I was lighting up at school, in the girls' room. The other girls would go with me to the bathroom, and we'd all smoke together.

When did you decide you wanted to quit?

After about three months. I realized my smoking was actually pretty stupid, because I kept trying to hide it from my parents. I'd come home the back way and always have a piece of gum in my mouth so they wouldn't notice I'd been smoking. My sister was already suspicious and said, “You've been smoking, haven't you?” And then I tried to quit.

Why didn't you want to talk to your parents about it?

Well, I was afraid. I knew they were against smoking, and I just didn't have the nerve.

You said you tried to quit ...

Yes, but it didn't really work. Sometimes I tried saying no, when my friends asked if I wanted a cigarette. But they'd say, “Oh come on, you've smoked before. Why on earth are you saying no now?” That's why I couldn't really stop. There was this “rush” about it — the adventure of doing something different — and I also wanted to be with my friends.

So what did you do then?

I talked about it at Sunday School. My teacher was pretty nice, and she took the time to discuss the whole thing with me. She said she d once been in a similar situation, and she looked up helpful sentences with me in Science and Health and the Bible.

It wasn't solved after the first Sunday School discussion — we talked about it for several weeks. But I began feeling more and more secure after our talks, and then I realized that I am a somebody, even without the cigarettes. A cigarette can't define who I am. We're each individuals, and we don't have to be like others to feel great. My being, my individuality, is a reflection of God.

Would you say that self-confidence was a factor in being able to quit?

Yes, absolutely. I think that was the most important thing.

What gave you the strength to say no the next time they offered you a cigarette, and to stick with it?

Well, I just told myself that I didn't have to be like anybody else. So sometimes I just said no and turned away, and then went over to other friends. Because I thought, “If I stay here and the others are smoking again, it'll get worse, and I'll want to start again.” So finally I just said, “I can't do this anymore. I don't want to smoke, and if you can't accept it, then I'll hang around with other friends.” And eventually they did accept it.

Do you feel as though you gave up something good when you quit smoking?

No, not at all. I think I gained something. It was simply an experience that showed me that you can be cool and be just the way you are, without stuff like that. And I've never again been tempted to smoke.

Would you say it was an important experience in getting to know yourself?

Absolutely. I'm much more confident than I used to be.

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“It's a whole other world"
January 1, 2003
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