Paul’s quit story
Paul, from Sheffield, started smoking when he was six or seven. Everyone around him smoked, including his mum and dad. He started pinching cigarettes, and he was soon hooked.
Now 62, Paul quit smoking with support from Smokefree Sheffield. Years of smoking, rising costs and worries about his health gave him the push he needed to become an ex-smoker.
“When I started smoking, I had no idea about the harms. I was young and everyone around me was doing it. It didn’t take long before I was hooked – very quickly smoking a cigarette first thing in the morning became a habit for more than 50 years. The main reason I quit was for my health, but also the cost. It was getting too expensive – I was buying a new pack of 20 cigarettes every day.”
Like many people, Paul had tried to quit before. He managed to stop for six months, but a difficult life event led him back to smoking.
“I did quit for a while, but when my mum passed away, I started again. This time felt different though – having regular meetings and using a vape really helped me stay on track.
He found a free vape to be useful as it helped him manage cravings. He also found it useful having free vape liquids through the service, as it helped him save more money.
Paul was also motivated to quit after he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease – a kidney condition that may have been impacted by smoking.
“I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease last year, so I’m now on medication for life. I was told it was really important that I stopped smoking, otherwise I might not have much longer. That gave me a big push to quit.”
Since becoming smokefree, Paul has noticed improvements in both his health and daily life.
“I’m not coughing every morning like I used to, and my breathing feels better. My sense of smell has come back, and my flat doesn’t smell of smoke anymore. It’s made a big difference.
“I’m also saving a lot of money, which I’m saving up at the moment. I might be able to spend it on going on holiday, which would make quitting even more worth it.”
Paul is encouraging other people to quit smoking for their health and wealth.
“Quitting smoking was made much easier thanks to the support from the stop smoking service. Having someone there to guide me and keep me on track really helped.”
“Think of all of the time and money you’re wasting – you could be buying new clothes, running a marathon or spending time with family.”
“With the right support and the right approach for you, quitting is possible – and it’s worth it.”
