Host: How do I change my identity as a smoker? Eletta Hansen: You didn't become a smoker overnight, and you won't become a nonsmoker overnight. A lot of people who quit, will often tell their friends and family, "I'm thinking of quitting or I'm trying to quit" rather than saying, I've quit. This may work for you. This may make it an easier transition as you begin to develop a nonsmoking lifestyle.