Aged 13 years, Tom was pressured into smoking by other school kids the same age. I was telling him to try it. He didn't want to try a cigarette but was just naughty.
I used to run errands for people and spend the money on sweets. I first realised I was hooked ( not many months after I had started smoking) when I was running errands and began saving the money to buy cigarettes instead of sweets.
I kept two cigarette pets in my blazer, one with one cigarette inside the pack and the other complete. If the teacher asked for my cigarettes, I always pulled the one cigarette out, handed it to him, and kept the entire packet.
I used to go behind the bike sheds. If the teacher had caught me smoking, I would have received the cane.
When I was about 22, I stopped smoking for two years. I ran out of cigarettes, and there was a storm. I wasn't going out in that to buy cigarettes. I didn't buy any on the way to work. I quit and was anti-smoking.
A couple of years later, a friend came around whilst I was decorating and offered me a cigarette, which I took without thinking. I later bought a packet of 10 cigarettes, and one is never enough - I started smoking again until recently, 41 years later.
A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with COPD; I also have a leg problem, which they won't operate on until I quit. The specialist gave me a card for the stop smoking service. It took me 18 months to come to terms with the diagnosis and stopping smoking. I've been saying every time I went outside in the pouring rain for years. Why am I doing this (for all those years)? ALL IT TAKES IS A LITTLE BIT OF WILLPOWER, A FEW PATCHES AND A PHONE CALL WEEKLY FROM THE STOP SMOKING SERVICE.
I would say to people wanting to stop. When you run out of tobacco or cigarettes, do it. Try for one day > The first few mornings were tough, but it worked for me.
Solero Mango Lollies were my saviour. My adviser suggested ice-cold water/ juice/ lollies, which helped me immensely. I registered at the stop smoking clinic on 31st May 2023. I quit on 13th June, had my last cigarette on 12th June, and haven't looked back.
I started using the patches, took one day at a time, never told myself I'd stopped, and just continued to the end of the day and saw how far I went with it.
Nearly five weeks later, I am in a much fresher, better and healthier place. When I smell people who pass me, I think, ashtray, it isn't perfect. I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for the help of my advisor and the consultant who gave me the Stop Smoking Number. I didn't want to waste their time.
If I could only say to people, Don't start.
