John

What were your reasons for stopping smoking?

Heart attack and being out of breath.

Have you stopped smoking previously?

Before your first appointment, did you believe you would be successful?

Did you use stop smoking medication to help you quit, and what did you use? How helpful did you find this?

They were ok. I think, truthfully, the morphine and antibiotics drip in the hospital helped a lot, too. I didn’t even think about it when I had to go outside to make phone calls. The patches were alright, but when I took it off, it made me itch, so that's why I didn’t bother using another one.

Apart from medication, what else helped you to quit and stay smoke-free?

I was told that I had heart failure; part of my heart had died, and I had a hole in the heart. It was a warning.

What do you like the most about being a non-smoker / quit?

I can go for a walk without getting puffed.

Has your health improved since you quit, and if so, in what ways?

Less breathless, and I can do 6,000 steps a day now. I can also taste my food better.

Other than health, have you achieved anything since quitting that you couldn’t do whilst smoking?

I haven’t been able to do much since I had the heart attack, but I’m getting advice about what I can do from the cardiac nurse at the hospital.

What have you found helpful whilst accessing the Yorkshire Smokefree service?

My advisor phoned me. You remind me not to smoke.

Could you give us a quote about your experience of becoming smoke-free that may help others to take the same step?

I saw smoking as a stress reliever when really all I needed was to get away from the situation. I won’t smoke again. That heart attack was bad; I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.