Steven decided it was time to stop smoking, not just for his own health, but for someone he loves.
"My wife became seriously ill after having a heart attack," he explained. "I didn't want to smoke in front of her anymore, but as time went on, that became the motivation to quit for myself too."
With support from Yorkshire Smokefree in Barnsley, Steven started his quit journey using nicotine replacement therapy. While he tried both nicotine patches and an inhalator, it was the patches that made the biggest difference.
"The patches were wonderful – they did a perfect job. I'd give them 10 out of 10."
Steven says his determination to improve his own health, combined with concern for his wife, helped him stay focused. The couple also made their home a smoke-free environment by not allowing anyone to smoke inside, making it easier to stick to his goal.
Since quitting, Steven has noticed some unexpected but welcome changes.
"I've stopped coughing. Our pet parrot used to copy me coughing my guts up, so now I'm going to have to teach it something else!"
His health has continued to improve in other ways too. Living with diabetes, Steven admits he wasn't eating particularly well while he smoked. Since quitting, his sense of taste has improved, he's been able to enjoy a wider variety of foods, eat more regularly and even gain some healthy weight.
Looking back, Steven is proud of what he has achieved and encourages anyone thinking about quitting to take that first step.
"You have to want to do it first and foremost, but you never know until you give it a go!"
If you're thinking about stopping smoking, Yorkshire Smokefree offers free, friendly support, expert advice and stop smoking treatments to help you find the approach that works best for you.
