TEMPTED COMMITTED

Patrick from Gravesend quit with us in November 2011. This is what he had to say about his experience:

"When I realized that I had progressed from a "social" smoker to a full on smoker with an addiction, I knew it was time to quit. I found support and success in the form of the NHS Stop Smoking Service. My NHS guide, Anjali, took me through a whole list of options for nicotine replacement, allowing me to try each one to find which would be the right fit for me. She also tested my carbon monoxide levels, showing me on a graph the benefits of quitting and also the risks if I continued to smoke. She provided me with plenty of practical tips on how to avoid the temptation of the first smoke of the day or the dreaded "telephone call smoke". By using her support and guidance in our weekly one to one meetings, alongside the NRT I was prescribed, I can happily (and healthily) report that I have not had a smoke for over a month and I don’t feel like I ever want one again.

The balance of practical support and nicotine replacement medications takes the pressure off me and makes staying off easier. It’s a great approach to gaining freedom from the addiction of smoking."

We saw Wayne at one of our clinics in Swanley in 2011. Wayne gives an honest account of how quitting smoking affected his depression:

"I have suffered on and off with depression for years, and found that my mood dropped significantly when I first gave up smoking. The pamphlets warn you about being "short-tempered" or "irritable", but this was quite different – just pure misery.

I think that half the battle is knowing what to expect when you give up. Unfortunately, the depression aspect wasn’t really emphasised in the literature so it did come as something of a nasty surprise. However, with advice from the local stop-smoking team, I realised that the misery was just a (fairly common) side-effect of nicotine withdrawal and that it would pass. Once I’d made that realisation, it was much easier to deal with and, of course, my misery levels have now returned to normal!

I also found that the Nicorette text service was very useful. It’s free to anyone using one of their products. They send you supportive texts at regular intervals, including random facts about the harm that cigarettes do and the benefits of giving up. It’s just one of those extra little things that help to get you through.

I still get cravings, but I try to remember one very simple truth – there is literally nothing good about smoking.

Good luck,

Wayne"

Register now to read more accounts of quitters in your area. If you want to share your experience with others, email us at smoking.westkent@nhs.net