Quitters Stories

If we can do it anybody can. 

My partner smoked for 45 years, me for 40 years. We have always said we could not stop because of depression illness and everyday stress. But we are both calmer and happier and laugh more since we stopped. My Partner is 61. 

He had the lung capacity of a 68 years old. Since stopping smoking it is now that of a 51 year old. Shame his body isn’t the same!! It has been a real struggle at times but with the help and support of Katie and the friends we made at the meetings, it has helped. 

Now we smell and look better and our house is fresher. 

So please, give it a go. It will change your life, as it has ours. 

Good luck.

By Karen (Norwich)

Giving up smoking – a new life 

Giving up smoking to me was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  I’d started smoking at the age of 15, and gave up at the age of 43.  So it was the biggest thing in my life, and I was convinced I was addicted to it.  When I first started smoking, I thought it was clever, and all my friends were trying it, so I thought I would too.

As the years went on, I smoked more and more and eventually I became hooked, I couldn’t have a drink, without a cigarette as well.  It was cool to be noticed smoking a cigarette.

After some time, I noticed my legs would ache for no apparent reason.  I got lots of headaches.  I couldn’t walk without getting out of breath.  My health was deteriorating and smoking was the cause.  I’d tried giving up a few times.  But to no avail it didn’t work.

I started going along to Cignificant, an organisation which is aimed at helping people give up smoking.  I found this very helpful, and agreed to plan a quit date, and then start on Nicotinell patches.  I would change that patch every night and put on a fresh one on the next day.  Depending on how many cigarettes I would smoke a day, I was also prescribed Nicotinell lozenges too, along with the patch.  To give up, the idea is to give you just a certain amount of nicotine so it helps you with the cravings.

If you definitely want to give up, then the cravings won’t be so hard to control.  I persevered with the patches and lozenges until willpower took over.  I wasn’t struggling so much.  I am now proud to say, that I’ve given up with flying colours.  I have no temptation, no cravings, no desire to smoke any more.  I wish I’d started you might say, but, don’t’ be so hard on yourself, it’s never too late to give up.

Myself and my husband, have both given up now.  Our food tastes better; I can breathe properly through my nose.  I smell fresher, my skin looks better and I’m so confident I’m proud to share my new life with you.  We’ve just been to Paris, for our anniversary, and there’s so much more to come.  We have more money in our pockets now.  So anywhere you would love to visit, nothings impossible, you’ll save that money and you will go.  Believe me, don’t give up giving up. 

 Good Luck

By Christine (Norwich)

After trying patches, gum and Zyban, cold turkey and even personal threats to myself, nothing seemed to keep me off the weed. Even the cold hard shock, using the British Heart Foundation's Totaliser (from their website) to work out how much my habit was costing me, 22 cigs a day @ £3.95 pack = £1,585.93 a year and £7,929.63 over 5 years, it made me flinch but as always my 'friend' the menthol cig was there to comfort me.

It was my big year approaching and I wanted to try again. Heck! I must try again, I told myself - I'm not even a grandmother yet and I couldn't die of some smoking induced illness and be robbed of that pleasure!!

So I started using my patches again and went along, cynically I add, to my first Cignificant appointment with Hazel. I soon discovered Hazel had never smoked. How was she ever going to understand what I was going through and how hard it was to quit? Hazel however offered me some top rate counselling, she made me analyse my relationship with my friend the cigarette who I was finding hard to say goodbye to, for ever. How could a friend that cost's me so much money, limits me to where I can go myself and take it, alienate me from my friends and family who hate it's smoke and smell, repay me by clogging up my arteries, blacken my lungs with tar and gradually try to kill me. Some friend!!

"It's all about the receptors in the brain" Hazel told me, "you mustn't give in to them"! "When they don't get what they want (the nicotine) they will soon become sleepy and disinterested and stop sending those cravings". This is true and this is where I had been going wrong in the past. I thought an odd puff or even an odd cig was what was helping me fight my cravings - yet still keeping me on target to give up. So now I've discovered how conniving and clever those receptors really are!!

Hazel suggested I got an inhaler for when times were a bit harder and rubbing on my patch didn't get me over the immediate threat of lighting up. I was a bit concerned at first as they were a similar shape to a cigarette, supposedly tasted minty and also you put them in your mouth and inhaled on them. I needn't have worried though because when Hazel told me they were very plasticy and the taste you get in your mouth is peppery, she wasn't lying! It did help me and I keep it in my bag at all times but there really is no chance of getting hooked on this as you really would look a burk puffing constantly on this with a gin and tonic!

After 4 sessions Hazel has helped me far more than she could know and I will be eternally grateful.

Anyway, it has been more than six weeks now since I finally said goodbye to that acquaintance of mine. I feel so good succeeding this time and the one thought I hold on to is, If I ever have another cigarette then I will be making that decision to smoke for the rest of my life 'cause hey, I never consciously made the decision 18 years ago that I would and yet that is exactly where I was heading!"