John hasn't quit smoking, yet. But he's working with our stop smoking advisor Chris in Calderdale and making huge steps towards becoming smoke-free. Here's his story so far...
How this all started was really by accident. It all began after I was admitted to Calderdale Royal Hospital.
I hadn’t slept very well and, if I’m honest, I may have come across as a bit grumpy at first. I was lying there when a woman approached me, and I remember thinking, “Here we go, what does she want?” As I said, I hadn’t slept very well and wasn’t really in the mood.
Anyway, she was pleasant enough and asked me a few questions, one of which was whether I smoked and if I would like some support. My initial response was, “Yes, I smoke, but no, it doesn’t matter. I’m not interested.” With that, I sent her on her way. The lady finished up and left. It all happened really quickly because, before I knew it, I was calling her back and saying something like, “I do want your help.”
I wasn’t thinking about stopping, nor did I expect myself to agree to any support. I remember thinking, “I should stop really,” and that was that.
Once I got home, I received a call from Yorkshire Smokefree and was booked in for my first session a few days later. I haven’t stopped smoking yet, but I’m 62 years old and this is the first time anyone has ever referred me to a stop smoking service. I’m amazed by the progress I’ve made already.
Before my hospital admission, I would easily smoke more than 30 roll-ups a day. Now, I’m down to just a handful each day. At first, I used nicotine gum but, in all honesty, I don’t know why I chose it as I don’t have any teeth. I carried on regardless and made the most of my choice, and it did help. I don’t know whether it was the gum or my own motivation, but I really cut back on how much I smoked that week.
A week later, my stop smoking advisor at Yorkshire Smokefree in Calderdale, Chris, contacted me. We spoke about several things, and I explained how I’d found using the gum without having any teeth. We decided to try one of the vapes instead. My daughters vape, but it’s not something I’d ever tried before. Chris suggested giving it a go and talked me through the different options.
I remember thinking that I didn’t want was any of those flavoured liquids and planned to stick with the rolling tobacco flavour. After speaking with the vape team, I ended up choosing three bottles of rolling tobacco flavour and three bottles of mixed fruit flavour.
I’ve been using the vape for just under a week now, and I’m really happy with it. I would always pre-roll my cigarettes and, as I’d rolled 40 before starting with the vape, it feels a bit strange because I’m still working my way through those pre-rolled roll-ups. I also discovered that I wasn’t a fan of the rolling tobacco liquid after all and actually preferred the fruit flavour.
Like I say, I’ve not stopped smoking completely yet, but what started with me being admitted to hospital has turned into a really positive step forward. I never expected any of this when I was first approached about support, but I’m pleased I gave it a chance. I can genuinely see myself continuing to use the vape and, hopefully, achieving a full quit in the near future.
Chris tells me it’s Stoptober now and the plan is to quit for the first during October.
