Today is the day

“After a lifetime of smoking I was sick of spending almost £10 a packet on cigarettes. With me smoking 60 cigarettes a day it was costing me a small fortune.

“I started when I was 14, so that is over four decades I had been doing it. At the time, everybody else was smoking and I thought it was the right thing to do, but I know better now.

“It was the cost that was the final straw. COVID-19 also played a big part in contributing to my decision. I lost my wife three years ago to COPD, so I have seen what smoking can do and the devastation it can leave behind. My daughter has been desperate for me to quit since she lost her mam and I wanted to do it for her and my grandkids too.

“Once I made up my mind, I just phoned the doctor. He prescribed Champix, the tablets to help you stop smoking. I took them for 7 days and then I stopped. You smoke while you are taking the tablets and you pick a day to stop. I picked my day and stopped, just like that. From 60 a day to nothing within a week – I threw them away and that was it.

“I had to keep on taking the tablets for around 3 more weeks – they repressed the urge to smoke and I didn’t fancy a cigarette. It’s been eight weeks and have never thought of having a cigarette since. In the past I had tried to quit on my own and I couldn’t. So, the tablets obviously worked.

“My advice to anyone wanting to do the same is: See a doctor and get the tablets, they definitely work. They are expensive to prescribe but when you put that against the cost of a life they are cheap.

“My daughter is over the moon that I stopped because she has tried for years to help me quit – especially after her mam passed away. She has four children who all live local and I am looking forward to spending more time with them once this is all over.

“I am much better off since quitting. I am planning on going on holiday next year to Lanzarote once COVID-19 has left us.”

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