Marie came to our service in 2020 for telephone support and was successful in quitting. She returned this year for more help and support to quit.
She also returned with some health issues including asthma and her motivations to quit were obviously for her health but also because she has a young grandchild who has bronchitis. It was very important to her that he was not affected by second-hand smoke, although both her and her partner never smoked in the home, she did not want him to encounter second-hand smoke in any way.
She says so many times her goal to be smoke-free has seemed unreachable, but this time it is here, and she is doing it and going into another month smoke-free. It's a great feeling knowing this year she will be smoke-free on “No Smoking Day”.
This time felt the right time, and she felt geared up and ready to start. She did not find her previous patches effective enough for her and we decided together that a 24-hour patch would be more beneficial this time, combined with a lozenge. She was inspired to use the lozenge by her brother who had also used these and found these effective.
It is great to hear other people's experiences which can encourage your own quit attempt. Marie was very keen to get started with her quit attempt with her new products and says this change in products this time has been a key to her successful quit attempt, and she could not have done it without the aid of nicotine replacement therapy.
Her quitting attempt was also aided by her partner who was also stopping smoking and they supported each other. They came in together to do their carbon monoxide readings and were very happy to see their results and their quit status readings on the monitor. Being able to do a carbon monoxide reading is an effective way of showing people how well they are doing and keeps motivation strong and encourages and strengthens their quit journey.
Having the carbon monoxide leaflet copy for Marie and her partner to take away also really helped as it explained how carbon monoxide effects our blood and our cells and emphasised the benefits of stopping smoking. A real reward and validation and recognition for them both and as Marie says it is also a “proof “to each other that they are smoke free
Although it has been tough at times Marie says everyone at Yorkshire Smoke Free has been helpful and supportive and done all that they can to support her to achieve her goal.
