Tracey, Braunstone
Tracey considered herself to be a heavy smoker, but the habit was starting to cause her health problems. She had previously quit for 18 months, however one cigarette on a night out resulted in her smoking for another four years.
Finally, a spell in hospital with very high blood pressure gave Tracey the motivation she needed to quit again. A close friend decided she would support Tracey by giving up at the same time.
“We decided to do it straight away, we didn’t want to have time to talk ourselves out of it. We managed to get hold of QuitReady’s number and phoned that day.”
Tracey had used a face-to-face stop smoking service the first time she quit, but hadn’t found it very convenient.
“I found it stressful trying to get to appointments. I had to fit them in around working full time and looking after two children. QuitReady’s telephone appointments worked so much better for me.”
“I knew my advisor Liz would call on a Thursday, so I could still go out as long as I had my phone with me. I talked to Liz from the hospital, in the car, on day trips – it was so convenient and I could get on with my life.”
Quitting smoking has made a real difference to Tracey’s health.
“I feel great, I’ve got much more energy now and I’m sleeping better. My blood pressure was causing me so many problems and it has come right down into the ideal range. It wouldn’t come down when I was smoking, even with medication.”
So what are Tracey’s top tips for other people who are thinking about quitting?
“Just go for it, grab the moment before you talk yourself out of it. If you have someone to give up with, do it together. Giving up with a friend really helped me, even when I was tempted to smoke I didn’t want to let her down.”
“I’ve worked hard to quit this time and I’m determined to stay smokefree.”
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