Quit Smoking Success Stories

I used nicotine patches and Champix to help cope and I can proudly say that I've been smoke free for over six months now.

I started smoking when I was 18. Most of my friends had smoked before then but I always managed to avoid mostly because I'd been involved in a lot of sport. Running, swimming and squash mostly. When I got to university, I thought I'd give it a try and well 10 years later I still regret starting.

My sport fell by the wayside as I couldn't keep up any more really. I also managed to put on weight, yes I know how ridiculous that is, about 2 stone. It didn't bother me at first because I was having a really great time but I eventually started to miss being in shape and not wheezing after going for a run.

About a year ago I started a new job, my last one was really stressful which I think contributed to the smoking, and decided to call it quits once and for all. I used nicotine patches and Champix to help cope and I can proudly say that I've been smoke free for over six months now. It will probably take a while to get back to where I was when I was younger, if at all, but I feel great and can do sport properly again.

Mike

It had been so many years since I'd been smoke free, I'd forgotten how good you can feel!

Giving up smoking has been one of the hardest things I've had to do, not just because it's such an addictive habit, but because most of us smokers rely so much on it to help us cope with everyday stresses. To me smoking was a crutch, a reason to go for a break at work or a way to regroup if I've had a particularly rough day. Therefore it was never a good time for me to quit, especially when I was busy juggling work and my personal life, which involved me looking after and providing for my children on my own. But my two gorgeous daughters was eventually the reason I decided to bite the bullet and quit, and I haven't looked back since!

Ironically this habit that I saw as a crutch for years, was affecting my health making me feel sluggish and tired all the time, not even to mention the coughing fits in the morning and my oral health. However, you only fully come to realise how cigarettes affect your health if you have something to compare it with and it had been so many years since I'd been smoke free, I'd forgotten how good you can feel.

I didn't use any prescription medication to help me quit, I found that the nicotine patches made my skin itchy and irritated and the gum was just too expensive to keep on buying, so I decided to go cold turkey, but kept a smoking diary to keep track of how I was feeling and put a rewards system in place to help keep me motivated. As I already mentioned, it wasn't easy, in fact those early days were hell, but I am lucky that I don't have many friends that smoke around me otherwise the temptation may have been too much to bear. I also tried to keep drinking to a minimum, as this is a usual smoking trigger for me and I made a note of how much money I was saving, which was an incredible amount!

Gradually I noticed subtle changes in my health and felt amazed when I could run for the bus and didn't have a coughing fit or when I fell ill I didn't keep on coughing for two weeks after having recovered. Breathing better meant that I could exercise more comfortably, which helped with stress and almost worked as a type of substitute for smoking as I used to be really fond of exercise as a young woman. Plus I stopped getting heart palpitations which used to drive me crazy during the day.

I've been smoke free for almost a year and a half and although I feel tempted to every now and then, I just remind myself that giving-up was the best thing I could have done for me and my daughters and I'd just be undoing many months of hard work if I picked up a cigarette again.

Carol

Stick with it and remember that it will be a huge health improvement.

Had a health scare after smoking for about 5 years. Started the usual way, friend started and I tagged along. Went to the doctor for a check-up and she said my circulation was extremely bad and getting worse, which explained why my feet and hands always got so cold. Didn't even realise smoking did that kind of damage!

I quit straight afterwards, managed to go cold turkey for the first while and then used nicotine gum when the cravings got really bad.

Am proud of myself for quitting, I know my friends struggle and a lot of other people do too. All I'd say is stick with it and remember that it will be a huge health improvement.

Debby

We avoided going out to areas where we knew our friends would be smoking, cut down on our alcohol consumption and ate a lot of chewing gum!

I started smoking when I was just 16 years old, and just recently decided to quit – at nearly 30 years old! My partner and I both smoke, so it was always difficult for us to cut down or even quit outright. Anyway, we both eventually decided that enough was enough, and took the plunge to quit cold turkey as I figured it was the only way to go. I didn't really believe in prescription medications, or even over-the-counter patches and etc that still put nicotine into your system – it was all or nothing for me.

So we quit. Together. Not easy at all! The first few days to be honest weren't too bad, and once we had gotten over the habit of smoking in the morning and at specific times during the day – midday coffee break, after lunch, mid-afternoon, after work – it wasn't too bad. The worst came in the evenings or on weekends when we were out with friends and Drinking! That is by far the hardest part of quitting smoking – and where we first failed.

After almost 3 months of no smoking, we thought we were strong enough to have a little "social" cigarette every now and then, without getting back into our regular smoking habits. We thought, "Now we are ex-smokers, not regular smokers!" This was the first stage of our downfall. Smoking the odd cigarette or two on a Friday night out escalates into three cigarettes, then four, then a 10-pack and all of a sudden you are buying full packs on a Friday afternoon because you know you are going to smoke on the weekend. And so we became smokers once again.

Second time around we were more determined to quit once and for all so I overcame by adversity to prescription medication and bought a course. Maybe it's a mental thing, but after just 2 weeks of taking the tablets my cravings didn't seem so bad and I was actually repulsed by the thought of smoking. We also had to be careful of course; we avoided going out to areas where we knew our friends would be smoking, cut down on our alcohol consumption for the first month or so as that was our downfall previously, and ate a lot of chewing gum!

Three months later and counting, I have just finished my course of Champix and am still on track. I know there will still be tough times ahead, but I feel like I have overcome my main hurdle and am successfully on my way to becoming a real "ex-smoker".

Rachel

Smoking nearly killed my dad and I'm glad to be rid of it.

My parents both smoked and so I was accustomed to it when I started at 16. Didn't really worry about the health impact until my dad got really sick about two years ago. He'd developed lung cancer but fortunately his doctor picked it up early.

My mom and I both quit within the next two months following his operation. It wasn't easy but all of us are now non-smokers and going strong.

I know a lot of people don't think it will happen to them but I don't think people should push their luck. Smoking nearly killed my dad and I'm glad to be rid of it.

Alex

It's been three months since I've stopped treatment, I am still going strong and I'm feeling better than I've done in years.

I used to be one of those smokers who'd make a resolution every weekend that I'd quit on Monday, but when push came to shove, never managed to do it. Until I had a shock when I doctor told me that my weight in combination with my smoking habit was eventually going to cause serious damage, especially since cholesterol ran in my family.

The realisation scared me and didn't quite know what to do, but in a way it was just the push I needed to get me to finally give up. In many ways I was annoyed with myself for not having done it earlier!

From my past attempts I knew that quitting cold turkey or nicotine patches were not going to be an option for me, I needed something serious, because I was finally serious about quitting for good. This is why I did my research on Champix and decided I'd give it a try.

I understood that it wasn't going to be a miracle med, but it did feel easier to say no to cigarettes when I was taking it, to the point where I just didn't enjoy them and was able to restrain myself from having any. Although the withdrawal was still there, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, although apparently I wasn't a joy to live with for a while.

It's been three months since I've stopped treatment, I am still going strong and I'm feeling better than I've done in years. Oh, and 'richer' since I've managed to save around 6 quid a day, which is now going towards a family holiday, where I will NOT be stockpiling fags from duty-free…

Mark

I quit smoking simply by cutting down slowly. It's now been almost 3 years since my last cigarette!

When I was diagnosed with diabetes five years ago I thought my life was over. I had been smoking for over 20 years and had no inclination to quit, I was happy with my life and my smoking. My doctor told me if I didn't quit smoking I was putting myself at serious risk of a heart attack or stroke – not even just putting myself at risk, I would most likely have one!

So I tried to quit ... for months I tried to quit, enlisted the help of friends and family, support people, prescription medication, nicotine chewing gum, patches, sweets – everything! Nothing worked. I just became more and more frustrated that I couldn't quit, got more annoyed every time a friend would ask – "have you smoked today, how many cigs have you had today??"

Anyway, a long story short, I gave up on any help and just cut down on my cigarette intake by not smoking at certain times of the day that I normally would, smoking less during the day, smoking my last cigarette at a certain time. A pack of smokes eventually lasted me nearly two weeks, by that stage with me only smoking one a day or less until I eventually quit for good. I know it took a couple of years to get to this stage, but I'm really proud of myself for quitting smoking – and all on my own. It's now been almost 3 years since my last cigarette!

Angus