Proud to be a quitter: Rebecca Bradshaw, Haggerston
Rebecca and cigarettes - Smoking history
I was 16 when I started. My boyfriend and all my friends were smokers; it was a bit of rebellious teenager behaviour, and I thought it was “cool” although on reflection I never really believed that, so I think it was a peer group thing and wanting to be in that crowd.
What’s weird is that neither of my parents smoked, although my older brother did: so he and I had a bit of a secret behaviour going on, although obviously my parents realised what we were doing at some point.
I smoked 10 -15 on an average day. Although it could be up to 20 under certain circumstances: it was a dual thing – it was a coping mechanism and also a reward; which I look back at now and it is clearly neither!
What made her want to quit
In the back of my mind I always thought I was going to die because of smoking. Every time I felt chest pain or had shortness of breath it freaked me out and I’d think “that’s it: you’ve got cancer!”
I’d thought about quitting a few times but there was always a ‘reason’ not to do it: when I was trying to complete my PHD I used it as a way of coping with pressure and stress; but then once I had completed, it was summer and I thought “well I’m not going to quit now while the weather’s nice and I can lie in the park”. And then I thought I can quit in the autumn when the weather changes but my flat has a balcony so I just smoked out there. I think we can put it down to a mixture of fear and ambivalence because I was just as scared of quitting as I was of carrying on smoking!
Finding the help she needed
When I had thought about stopping those couple of times before, I had spoken to people who had quit and in some ways I couldn’t relate to how they felt about quitting, that they were so pleased to have stopped, because I loved smoking. But even then I was actually a bit jealous of non-smokers and even more so of people who’d never smoked because obviously I knew it was an unhealthy thing to do and I knew it was dangerous – I mean how can you not know when they literally tell you on the packet? I knew I needed some help as I couldn’t imagine how to go about it, and the idea of going ‘cold turkey’ was just too hard.
The quit journey - Seeing a Stop Smoking Advisor
The greatest part was my advisor and how we talked about things; I felt like we had a great connection and that the advisor treated me like a person not “a smoker”, that I was an individual who was a smoker and not a medical patient or an addict (even if I was one!).
“I felt like we had a great connection and that the Advisor treated me like a person not a smoker”
I really enjoyed seeing the CO reading getting lower each time we did it and knowing that my health was improving: I had a definite desire to purge myself of the bad stuff I’d been taking into my body. The CO reading every week was also useful because it meant that by showing up to the sessions and being checked it meant that I had to be accountable for my own behaviour.
Absolutely the best thing was that I felt that the Advisor understood me and respected me and that we could have a proper talk as equals; he never made me feel that he had all the knowledge and power, he had empathy and collaborated with me to get me to where I wanted to be as a non-smoker. Part of what has worked for me is that I really looked forward to coming to the sessions and having that time to talk honestly: I felt that the Advisor would be there for me emotionally and I trusted him.
Rebecca’s choice of medication
Champix on prescription and then the Advisor helped me to get hold of a Vape. Completely straightforward and actually when I took in my prescription for Champix quite often the staff in the Pharmacy would ask how it was going and check I was ok and encourage me.
The best thing about quitting
The best things are the feeling of relief at having stopped smoking and not having to be afraid anymore; and also I had no idea how much time smoking took up in my life – not just the few minutes of actually smoking, but the running to the shops to buy the rizzla papers or the minutes spent making a roll-up and fiddling about with it. It’s so time consuming being a smoker and I didn’t even notice that until I quit.
Also – I have been able to spend the money I’m not spending on smoking on delicious things like a good bottle of wine or a fancy meal, which I can properly taste and enjoy now. Also: a good cup of coffee – I have discovered how much pleasure there is in that sort of thing, and I have the cash to indulge in it now.
Her advice to others
“When I see smokers now, especially when it’s raining or stormy and I see people in doorways having a smoke, I think I don’t have to do that anymore and then I feel like I’ve won!”
Just do it: you will never regret it. And there is nothing to be scared of! Getting help from an advisor to get hold of a Vape was really good because even though I haven’t even used it that much I know it’s there and I can use it if I need to.
I feel so much healthier now and it’s been good for me to use physical activity as a distraction from thinking about smoking.
When I see smokers now, especially when it’s raining or stormy and I see people in doorways having a smoke, I think I don’t have to do that anymore and then I feel like I’ve won!
Quitting can make improvements to your lifestyle and health in ways you might not expect.
Medications and nicotine replacement can double the chances of quitting smoking.