Wednesday, 02 March 2022
What does it take to quit smoking? Stats show that if you feel ready to quit you are three times more likely to succeed with the right support. Twenty seven year old Sabina is a great example of that winning combination. She is still smoke free after 10 months of getting support from the Total Wellbeing Luton Stop Smoking Service, and feeling fitter than ever.
Sabina had been wanting to stop smoking for the last 2-3 years having smoked 8-10 cigarettes a day, for almost 8 years. Her family and sisters in particular had given her lots of encouragement but she had never quite managed to quit for good. Finally, however, she realised she needed to stop. She said:
‘One day I just woke up, smoked the last of my cigarettes and I just said to myself, ‘that’s it’. I called my GP as I felt that was the place that was going to help me do that, but I had to do it – it was my health and my life or cigarettes.’
Sabina’s GP offered her various options as to how she wanted to take things forward. She said: ‘I just picked the Total Wellbeing Luton Stop Smoking Service and it has been one of the best choices I’ve ever made.’
Following a phone call to Total Wellbeing Luton, Sabina met with Michelle, Healthy Lifestyles Specialist, at Lea Manor Recreation Centre. She said:
‘Michelle completed a health check and asked me a few questions about my general health - how long I had been smoking, how many I smoked a day and if I had any health problems – and she explained how everything worked.’
‘Smoking was affecting me that I had a constant cough and I had lost a lot of weight. I couldn’t put it back on and had no appetite, so it was quite difficult for me.’
Sabina started on a free prescription product through the service, but not being used to taking tablets and finding them quite strong, she decided to change over to patches after about 10 days. She said:
‘I used the patches for 3-4 weeks and that’s all. I’m not using anything now, just strong will power!’
However, a key factor in Sabina still being smoke free is the support she received from Michelle. She said:
‘To be honest, I have spoken to Michelle so many times – I have never seen such a supportive person in my life. She is so experienced; she knew how to explain things to me and was so good at what she was doing, and so happy and helpful.’
‘I always thought in my head, that I was never going to stop smoking and I was often saying to her, if I hadn’t chosen you, I would probably still be smoking.’
Now Sabina no longer feels that a cigarette is the answer to stressful situations and said:
‘People think smoking calms you down if you are stressed or slightly nervous, but it doesn’t… at least this is how I was and I kept losing weight. I was smoking in stressful situations but after a few years I was smoking because I liked to smoke as well. That was my habit. I had always felt the cigarette was calming me down but I know now that it didn’t.’
Sabina never hid the fact that she smoked but she said, ‘I was always ashamed inside. I didn’t want people to see me smoking. It was always embarrassing, for me as young woman, standing having a cigarette and feeling that people could smell the cigarettes on me.’
Sabina has experienced a few other changes in her life since quitting smoking. Her bank balance has definitely benefitted.
‘It’s much easier now. It’s not like before. I don’t buy cigarettes every couple of days. I’d been spending so much money on cigarettes I can see the difference in my bank account.’
Sabina has also found a way to help with her fitness:
‘I’m now a member of the gym at Lea Manor Recreation Centre and I go three times a week. I do weight exercises, where a member of the team has written a programme for me and I have put weight on and gained muscle’.
‘I feel completely different now and I’m so grateful to Michelle that I met her. I have quit smoking and the cough has disappeared.’
If you too are ready to quit smoking, the Total Wellbeing Luton stop smoking programme can help.
Just text QUIT2022 to 60066 today for free support, advice and medication.