04 Nov two years later – denise’s stop smoking journey
Denise could never have imagined giving up smoking after 48 years of enjoying a fag. But the news from her doctor of having a hamartoma on her lung kick-started the stop smoking journey. Two years on and Denise’s stop smoking journey is still going.
Each appointment would involve Denise catching up with her stop smoking practitioner around the behaviour change tactics used to alter her mind-set towards smoking. The appointments would also include having a Carbon Monoxide (CO) reading. This is a simple breath test that records the levels of CO in your blood.
Denise says, “It was extremely beneficial to have that appointment… and to know I’d be seeing somebody who’s main aim was to get you to stop smoking, and to stop killing yourself!”
“I looked forward to the CO test because I could see it with my own eyes. As I progressed through the course it came down to two and that was so encouraging and helpful at the time to keep me going and to resist the temptation of lighting up a cigarette.”
Denise loved smoking, and never saw herself being someone that didn’t smoke, now having quit, she says, “You can be proud of yourself that you’ve achieved it and empower yourself.”
“There’s nothing to miss, you know it is only a habit. You can pick up a different habit, a healthy habit.”
When asked about the challenges Denise faced throughout her two year quit journey she mentioned starting to swim as a way of developing a habit to replace smoking. Her challenges were very familiar to the stop smoking team. Such as the smoke-breaks at work, around Christmas time, or when going out with the girls. But having a strong circle of supportive friends, and an advisor who often councils many other people in similar situations, was helpful.
For anyone thinking of quitting smoking, she says, “Just take the step now and become a non-smoker and give yourself a longer life and be with your family for longer”.
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