Janet and Mike are a married couple who have successfully quit smoking together and can’t believe the difference it’s made to their lives.

Before becoming smoke-free, Janet smoked fifteen and Mike smoked twenty cigarettes a day. After suffering a stroke, Mike knew he could not continue smoking
knowing his habit could increase the chances of a second stroke occurring.

Motivated to support her partner in every way possible, Janet decided to quit smoking with him.

“I told Mike that if he quits smoking, I’ll quit too for extra support.”

When Mike was discharged from the hospital, they gave him our contact details. He gave our friendly Wellbeing team a call and was promptly put in contact with our
NHS Stop Smoking Practitioner, Vikki. She talked through all the nicotine replacement products available so that the couple could make an informed decision about which ones they would like to try. In the end, they decided to give vaping a go.

Vikki organised a free vaping kit to be sent to the couple’s home address which consisted of a vape each and a month’s supply of vaping fluids.

“We both got on well with vaping, it helped with the cravings. I liked that it gave me something to do with my hands. Mike liked the blueberry and raspberry flavours and my favourites were the strawberry and banana.”

They have been gradually working their way down through the available nicotine strengths, from 18mg to 12mg to 6mg to 3mg, to give their body the best chance of
adjusting to the decreasing level of nicotine, reducing the chance of relapse. The couple discovered that vaping has the benefit that it doesn’t leave that stale smell you’d usually associate with cigarette smoke. They admitted that they couldn’t stand the pervasive, unpleasant smell of smoking, even before they kicked the habit.

“Mike hated the smell and so did I. We now smell it on others who smoke and can’t believe we used to smell like that!”

Soon after they stopped smoking, good things started to happen — they began to see almost immediate improvements in their health.

“Mike started to feel better after giving up and I don’t get so out of breath. After a long shift at work, I don’t feel so tired and can do more when I get home. I’ve also noticed that my IBS symptoms have greatly reduced.”

In addition to the health benefits, the couple were delighted with the financial benefits too!

“We are so much better off financially. Mike is saving £80 a week and I’m saving £35 a week. Compared to smoking, vaping is so much cheaper. With Mike not able to work at the moment, these savings are really important. If we were still smoking, we would have struggled.”

Janet said that their NHS Stop Smoking Practitioner, Vikki, was “really lovely and supportive.” As part of their supported and structured quit plan, they received regular Carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring. They found this to be a valuable motivational tool as it provided them with visible proof of the harm caused by smoking as well as giving them a measure with which to chart their progress. Janet said: “Seeing our Carbon monoxide levels reduce from 23 ppm to 1 ppm was motivating!”

If you would like advice and support to quit smoking like Mike and Janet you can contact the One You Plymouth team today and we can help you take the first steps
to become smoke-free. Call 01752 437177 or email [email protected].