My main reason for quitting smoking was due to my health. I had a heart attack and gave up whilst I was in the hospital and I haven't smoked since.
I believed I could achieve 4 weeks smokefree, I was very positive about quitting as there was no doubt that it was smoking that caused my heart attack and it was definitely my time.
I didn't use any smoking medication to help me quit, I managed to quit through fear and determination.
Support was the biggest part that kept me quit. I received support from the cardiac rehab nurses and the VitaMinds (an organisation that provides talking therapies in the Calderdale area) sessions they organised for me, support from my family and friends, and the support I received from my stop smoking lady Lindsey was amazing.
I couldn't have kept going if I hadn't had weekly phone calls from her and I look forward to them. I thought the support would be for just a couple of weeks or so but I still get weekly calls from the stop smoking service 3 months after my heart attack.
I hadn't visited the Yorkshire Smokefree page as of yet but now I feel stronger and I have my own story to tell I will read other peoples.
My health has definitely improved, breathing is easier and I have more energy. My food also tastes much nicer now and my sense of smell is amazing.
It might sound a little strange but since I quit I have become a lot more decisive about things. My mind feels a lot more focused and I feel sharper minded. When I smoked I would just tackle problems by going for a cigarette where as now I face them and sort them out. I do a lot less umming and arring and I am now all about being on the ball and doing.
The current lockdown has made it much easier without a shadow of doubt. There is no temptation to cadge anybody else's cigarettes, no smelling other smokers' cigarettes and as I have been shielding I haven't been anywhere near a shop to buy any.
Everything has been so easy to access the service via the telephone, I have been in the comfort of my own home, Lindsey was lovely to speak to and with it being a phone call I have found it easier to talk openly about matters that I might not have opened up about in person. I was very scared after my heart attack and being able to talk about it has almost helped me come to terms with what has happened to me.
