Peter’s quit story
Peter from Wombwell in Barnsley had smoked for more than 60 years when he quit so he could get the knee replacement surgery he needed.
“I needed a new knee so knew I needed to quit. I just got it into my head that I was going to quit so I set a quit date and booked an appointment at my local stop smoking clinic. After the first few days it was easy – I only wish I’d done it sooner.”
Peter who used to be a lorry driver started smoking when he was 16 – he credits the support he got from Barnsley stop smoking service with helping him to quit after such a long time.
“The clinic was so helpful – they gave me a vape which really helped me. I was so pleased every time I went when I could see my CO readings going down.”
“Meeting with my advisor every week made me want to stay quit – it wasn’t just that I didn’t want to let myself down but I didn’t want to let them down either.”
Since quitting Peter has noticed that his health has improved. He says:
“My breathing is a lot better and I don’t cough at all now. It’s much easier to take the dog for a walk – I used to be chain smoking on dog walks, now I don’t even take the vape.”
He has also noticed that he is a lot better off financially, he says:
“I have saved an unbelievable amount of money as I was a heavy smoker – it’s made a big difference to my wallet.”
Peter would encourage anyone who still smokes to get help from their local stop smoking clinic and give quitting a go, he says: “I only wish I’d done it sooner as it was easier than I thought it would be.”
