Giving up smoking is hard, to say the least.
Although more and more people are trying to kick the habit and interventions such as nicotine replacement have boosted our chances, the current quitting success rate is just 23%.
Giving up an addictive substance will be a different experience for everyone, and what works for some will be ineffective for others.
As you may have seen among your own friends and family, however, the decision to go tobacco-free – and stay that way – is often spurred on by a catalyst.
Tobacco is so addictive, it stands to reason that there may need to be a ‘lightbulb moment’ that gets you through withdrawals and cravings.
For some, it might be a health scare that prompts them to stub out the cigs, while for others it may be something more everyday, like smelling smoke on their clothing or realising how much money they’re spending.
These awakenings are powerful enough to spark huge lifestyle changes, but unfortunately what yours looks like is hard to predict ahead of time.
In honour of National No Smoking Day, and in the hope that you’ll be propelled into giving up, we asked successful quitters the moments that changed their mindset.
Perhaps after reading their stories you’ll join the millions of ex-smokers who’ve also ousted tobacco from their lives.
Nicole Ratcliffe, 40
‘I was in the smoking shed, was having a cigarette, and just made the decision it would be my last one. I stopped there and then.
‘I found out two weeks later I was pregnant. I haven’t had a cigarette in nearly seven years now.
‘Interestingly, smoking is the one thing that kept my ulcerative colitis under control, so it was a big risk to my health to give up, but one I’m so glad I took.’
Suzanne Samaka, 34
‘I gave up smoking in 2009 after having hypnotherapy. The bit that made it stick was meeting a partner who hated it in 2015.
‘Since then, having children and the increase in cost has meant I never went back.’
Jay Stansfield, 42
‘I quit smoking after watching Allen Carr’s Easyway DVD. One viewing! I’d been smoking for going on 15 years, quit and never looked back. That was in 2009.’
Bex Seeley Harris, 55
‘I smoked roll ups for 30 years, although not a heavy smoker and was always fit. I could never manage to give up… and then I got pneumonia.
‘That was it. I never wanted to put smoke in my lungs again and haven’t even thought about smoking since – and that was about 10 years ago.’
Lisa Suswain, 41
‘I smoked for 10 years – it was a way of life for ballet dancers, believe it or not (if you’re smoking, you’re not eating).
‘When my now-husband and I decided this was serious, I decided enough was enough. He never complained about my smoking, but as a non-smoker I knew it couldn’t be nice for him. I made the decision to stop.
‘It wasn’t easy but I never had one again, that was 16 years ago in June! It worked because my why was stronger than my why not.’
Jo Howarth, 50
‘I smoked from the age of 16 until I was 36. I gave up a million times in those twenty years, but the thing that made it stick was finding out I was pregnant with my first daughter.
‘I stopped that day and haven’t touched a cigarette since.’
Allie Abgarian, 32
‘I quit smoking last summer. During lockdown, I was getting through a pack a day – far more than my usual two or three cigs per day.
‘I started developing a cough and it really worried me. But it was also part of a big effort I made last year to be healthier as a whole, and smoking impacted my breathing when working out or walking for long distances.
‘I’m not sure why it happened nine months ago, but I suddenly became very aware that this habit could kill me, or at the very least was ruining my quality of life.’
Betsy Benn, 47
‘The thing that made it stick for me was that advert with John Cleese that said a single cancerous cell could be a tumour the size of a 50pence piece in the space of six months.’
Emma Baylin, 43
‘I smoked from around age 12 and, although I had periods of giving up, I would always start again after a few months or even a year. For example, I stopped for a year when I wanted to take my singing more seriously, but started again when I took on other work.
‘I stopped while I was pregnant and breastfeeding, but started socially smoking again. Then I got pneumonia.
‘I have never been so ill. I was off work for three months. I went down to six stone. It took about another three months to get back to my old self, but the idea of putting anything into my lungs since then makes me feel ill.
‘I now work with people with respiratory conditions. I would recommend anyone who wants to quit to talk to someone about how debilitating conditions like COPD can be (although not always caused through smoking, it is a main contributing factor) Look after your lungs, learn to breathe and sing!’
If you want support while trying to quit smoking, contact your GP who can put you in touch with a ‘Stop Smoking Advisor’ or contact the SmokeFree National Helpline on 0300 123 1044.
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