‘I am living proof’: Buffalo man stays smoke-free with the NY Smokers’ Quitline almost four years – and counting

Back in the 1970s, cigarette commercials had just started warning people about the ill-effects of tobacco.

“Smoking wasn’t really considered that bad of a thing back then,” said Austin, 60. “And as a 10-year-old kid, you know, I thought it made me look big and bad.”

Cigarettes cost 50 cents a pack back then. By the time it hit 75 cents, Austin had been a smoker for almost a year and a half.

“I told my mom, ‘If these … ever go up to a dollar a pack, I’m gonna quit.’ She said, ‘No, you won’t,’ “ Austin said with a laugh. “Later, they did hit $1 a pack. And better than 40 years later, I was still smoking.”

The New York Smokers’ Quitline ended up serving as a lifeline – but not right away.

The confidential hotline, operated out of Roswell Park Comprehensive Center, provides free tools and resources to smokers statewide who choose to stop smoking, vaping or chewing tobacco. They include a quit coach, helpful text messages and nicotine replacement therapy.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Austin said, “but it’s definitely worth it at the end of the day.”

Austin smoked up to two packs a day, despite being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at age 28. He ignored doctors’ pleas to quit and continued, until respiratory troubles in his late 50s prompted him to finally try a smoke-free lifestyle.

The road was tumultuous. He first reached out to the Quitline in 2018, and had a pretty quiet month. He could have a cup of coffee or a beer, or sit with his friends who smoked, without craving a cigarette. Then his brother had a heart attack, and Austin relapsed.

“I said, ‘Well, I’ll just have one to calm my…