Kerry visited her local Yorkshire Smokefree Doncaster clinic recently after decided enough was enough, it was time to quit the cigarettes! We caught up with her after her quit to find out how she's enjoying being an ex-smoker.
How many years did you smoke?
33 years, I've smoked between 21 to 25 cigarettes a day on average since I was 14 or 15!
Do you remember why you started smoking?
It made me look good and everyone else was smoking, all the wrong reasons I suppose.
What were your reasons for quitting?
Smoking was starting to get quite expensive and I wanted to look after my health.
How did you access stop smoking support?
I had one to one stop smoking support with an adviser and the support was fantastic!
Did you use stop smoking products to help you quit?
Champix, and they were fabulous in helping me stay smokefree, I don't think I could have quit without it.
Apart from products, what else helped you to quit and stay smokefree?
Determination and support from friends!
Has your health improved since you quit and, if so, in what ways?
Yes, not as breathless at the gym. My mouth and teeth feel amazing, like they're really clean.
What do you like about not smoking?
Everything. Not smelling of cigarettes, my food tastes better and being able to say 'sorry I don't smoke'.
Do you have plans to treat yourself with the money saved?
Booked a holiday, used the cigarette money to buy new, all matching suitcases and new clothes!
What would you say to anyone who has recently started smoking?
Don't do it. It's not cool and it doesn't look good. It's not worth it!
At work I've encouraged 3 people to quit so far, and they're also trying to encourage their kids to stop too.
