"I have been smoking on and off for 15-20 years, I initially bought a pack of 10, and then this progressed to 20 a day to get through the day.
I quit once before using Champix through my GP, and I managed to stop for years after this. But then I got stressed at my previous job and started up again. This was 7 years ago now, and I regret ever taking it up again!
My mum passed away suddenly last June, and she was really healthy and never smoked in her life. This really shocked me and made me look at my own health. I’m nearly 40 years old, and I have a 13-year-old, and 9-year-old at home. I don’t want to leave them behind, so I needed to look after myself, and that meant stopping smoking. I also went on a training course with work at Hull KR and the lift wasn’t working at the time, so I had to take the stairs. I felt so unfit, I was puffing, and I couldn’t breathe. I knew then that that was it, I needed help as it was affecting my life and work.
I saw the SmokeFree Hull stop smoking leaflet at work and decided to give it a go. I gave them a call and got signed up to the clinic at work with a SmokeFree Advisor.
They talked through the stop smoking treatments and I decided to use a vape to help me quit. It was really good, and a lot easier than I thought to use. I didn’t have to worry about changing the coil, and the battery was chargeable too. It was really easy!
I had a CO reading when I first started and it was 23, when it’s supposed to be below 6 as a healthy non-smoker. I knew I wanted to change this, and then 2 weeks later when I hadn’t had a cigarette in a week, it went down to 1.3 which I was really pleased with. 😊
This was a big achievement for me, and I didn’t want to let anyone down, not myself, nor my advisor or my family. I could see the difference and it was working, so I didn’t want to go back to smoking.
The shift patterns at work helped with my progress, as I was on nights initially, and I didn’t need to have a cig as I was asleep during the day. I thought it would be hard staying off the cigarettes when I wasn’t at work, as I always felt like I needed something in my hand, or whenever I went out drinking, but I found a solution. I used to give my partner my bank card whenever I went out on a night out, with the thought that I can’t buy any cigs if I didn’t have it on me, which really worked too! I don’t feel the need to do this anymore, I don’t even think about it!
My partner has never smoked, so she’s been really supportive helping me to quit. I was awful to live with in the first week with the nicotine cravings, but this has passed now. Whenever I felt the need for a cigarette, I just used the vape and went outside for a few minutes and it went away.
My advisor would always say to me, that cravings are like a demon in your head that wants a cigarette. If you can get through one day, the demon starts to decrease. So that’s what I did, I took one day at a time. She said that I’ll always have a smoker’s brain, but it’s about knowing how to train it and look past it. She was really helpful in explaining everything to me, working together on weaning off the cigarettes, and deciding on my quit date. After that I got rid of all of my lighters and everything in the house and only used the vape.
My advisor explained that it was all about breaking my routines and habits, as I used to smoke with meals, or when I first woke up. But by breaking from this routine, by getting a shower first when I first woke up or having my meal and then doing my pots instead, I didn’t feel the need to have a cig. Once I broke this habit it became easier and easier each day.
I’ve felt so much better since quitting, and it’s really improved my life financially too. I also feel so much better in myself, and I have more energy - I know I can tackle the stairs at Hull KR now no problem. I’m also better tempered with my kids, so it’s improved my mood, and people say I have a glow now too!
To anyone thinking of quitting you should just give it a go. Set a quit date and get help from the SmokeFree Hull service. You have to want to quit though, or it won’t work, and you need your own motivation.
Find the right product for you too, the vape worked for me, and the support by the service was fantastic. Even if I’d had a bad week, you’re never judged, and it’s a friendly person to talk to.
I enjoy working at Siemens and they have been really supportive of me quitting. I was able to attend my appointments in works time. I told my Group Leader, and he was great at allowing me to go to the clinic, and he would always check on me too. He used to smoke in the past, but quit years ago, so he knew how hard it was.
It’s easy to set up the appointments, I just checked with my advisor regarding what shift pattern I was on, and she was really flexible. If I was on-site I would have a face to face appointment, and if I was at home she would ring me instead.
I would definitely recommend the service, and I’m really thankful for their help. It’s not been easy, but if I can do it, you can too, and it’s well worth it!
I am happy to say I am now 7 weeks smokefree."