Over 88,000 people have used Warwickshire Stop Smoking Service since it started in 2000. Over 21,000 have become long-term non-smokers. That’s over 10,600 premature deaths that have been avoided!
That’s enough of the numbers! Impressive as they are, we are sure you want to hear about the difference stopping smoking with Warwickshire Stop Smoking Service has made to others, and therefore, could make to you…
To share your smokefree success send your quit story to phadmin@warwickshire.gov.uk
Husband and Wife quit together
My wife and I set a date to stop smoking on 3 September 2015. The reason for this decision was my wife went to our doctors and had a nasty shock when she was diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). She was told if she was to carry on smoking, she would at some point, finish up in a wheelchair with oxygen cylinders. So with that shock she stopped smoking but told me to carry on as it was her problem not mine. But I just could not do that as she needed my support and to smoke in front of her would have been cruel so we both started a 12 week stop smoking course and 'touch wood', 14 weeks later we are both smokefree.
Warwick residents who used the stop smoking service at the GP practice.
James' Story smokefree since the 90`s
I gave up smoking for 4 years in the mid 90s. However, in a moment of weakness I thought that if I had one cigarette I would not become a habitual smoker again.
I was wrong. Within 6 months I was smoking 20 a day.
Despite this set back, I knew ‘I should never give up, trying to give up’.
On 27th December 1998 I had the following sequence of thoughts in about 30 seconds.
- I will give up on 31st December 1999. I did not want to smoke in the new millennium.
- That was too much pressure - Millennium Eve and giving up smoking.
- I thought, I will give up on 31st December 1999. That will give me 12 months to figure it out before the Millennium.
- I thought, why not give up this minute?
- That is what I did and I have been a non-smoker ever since.
It was the best day’s work I have ever done.
This time, I was sure to never smoke anything, ever. Not one single ‘puff’ has passed my lips since that date.
I hope you find this story useful.
Samantha`s Wake Up Call
I gave up 6 years ago aged 30.
I had been thinking about it for ages and talking to the nurse at my doctors. But I always found an excuse.
The final wake up call came from my little girl who called me to ‘look mummy’ - she was pretending to smoke a pen.
I actually felt disgusted in myself and threw the pack in the bin. I have never touched one since.
Being a mother is a big incentive to give up, you are a role model.
The best tip I could give, would be to break old habits, don’t put yourself in situations where you will be tempted. Try and do it with someone so you can support each other, I did it with my partner.
I also stopped drinking alcohol too as I found this an easier way. I feel a million times better now and have a lot more money to treat my children with.
From Smoker to triathlete
I can't believe it's been two years since I gave up smoking. At today's prices and given I used to smoke 200 cigarettes a week, I would have saved over £8,000 if I'd put it all in a jar, but instead I found Triathlon. And I am so pleased that I did.
Two years ago I wrote this blog post http://smoker2triathlete.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-hardest-thing-i-have-ever-written.html
Last year I wrote this blog post http://smoker2triathlete.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/1-year-anniverssary.html
Two whole years in a new relationship with my lungs and body. I can't believe how much my life has changed in those two years either.
I am now a Triathlon Coach, I have helped set up a new Triathlon Club which now boasts nearly 100 members, have a love affair with triathlon, have completed triathlons at every distance and finally settled on the distance I enjoy most. I can't wait to see what the rest of my new life has in store for me.
Looking back on my life from two years ago, I spent a lot of time drinking in pubs, eating the wrong food and generally abusing and poisoning my body. Nowadays I spend most of my spare time exercising and I love it.
I love challenging myself and pushing my body to work harder. Yes running is still not my favourite thing but two years ago I couldn't run to the end of the street whereas now I run three or four times most weeks.
The last two years have had their ups and downs, but that is life. I am so much healthier since my decision to quit and really enjoy my new found love of exercise.
I am a proud Ex-Smoker, I wish I had found triathlon sooner in my life and stopped poisoning my body earlier.
Every time I see someone smoking I want to scream at them and point out the damage they are doing to themselves and how with some hard work they can achieve one of the best things they will ever do.
Giving up smoking was a life changing moment for me. At times it was hard but it was so worth it. I just wish everyone else still stuck in the trap could see sense.
Thanks for reading,
Michael
A Proud Ex-Smoker
Emily`s story
My name is Emily, I’m pregnant, living in Nuneaton and I’ve managed to quit smoking for the last four weeks.
I tried when first pregnant but only lasted a week, this time the support of my mum and Kelly, the Stop Smoking in Pregnancy Advisor, is making a real difference.
Kelly did my carbon monoxide reading which showed the harm smoking can do to my baby and I was shocked – I knew smoking was harmful to my baby but not how much.
Patches worked best – I tried several nicotine products but this was one that worked for me.
Kelly took an interest and having a chat with support was important.
It’s great because it has helped having mum quit too, we’ve helped each other.
I had a blip one day which meant the carbon monoxide reading went up, so I realised that a small mistake had big consequences – I liked to see how the reading was low each visit as it showed how well I was doing.
My advice to others would be to get some help, try the Stop Smoking Service to see if it helps. Support from my family is important, Nana has been very supportive.
I’m so glad to have done it and I couldn’t have done it without Kelly and mum.
Dave`s Story
My journey to becoming a non smoker is probably no different to yours.
I have quit smoking many times, sometimes lasting just hours, sometimes going a whole week and on occasions, for many months at a time.
But each time I would falter and succumb to the “I’ll just have one” or the “I need a fag to calm my nerves” and you know the rest, before long you are back on the 20 a day again.
Now things are very different. Not only am I a non smoker I have continued to make life-style changes and my health has benefited massively.
No longer the couch potato and the guy at work standing outside in the rain getting his nicotine fix, I walk my dog several miles a day, I eat some fantastic food that I never really could taste before.
I also take regular exercise, something I would never have considered as a smoker. Having better health would be enough of a reward for not smoking but the fact that I have saved so much money and been able to buy things that I would never have been able to afford as a smoker, is just the icing on the cake.
In the past I have tried many products to help quit, but for me, the NRT products seem to just increase my addiction to nicotine and although they helped to stop smoking tobacco, I would still be addicted to the nicotine. This time I tried Champix- a different approach to quitting and for me, one that worked.
You are going to get lots of support from the Stop Smoking Service, use them to find the right solution to help you to quit. They will be able to help you along the way to becoming a non smoker. Even when your having a bad day, call them, they will help.
My only words of advice would be, if you have tried to quit in the past and failed, don’t stop trying. One day, like myself you will do it and believe me, you won’t look back.
Good luck with quitting and a new healthier life.