Andy started smoking when he was 15 years old and before he became smoke-free, he used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day.

Over time, Andy has noticed a real shift in the collective societal perception of smoking. The glamour of smoking does not seem to carry as much traction anymore, with the habit no longer being seen as cool or even as normal.

Tired of the judgmental looks and the eye-rolling from others, coupled with the fact that all his friends had successfully kicked the habit, Andy knew it was time to quit: “Smoking is outdated. All my friends have given up smoking and I’m the only one left.”

Andy searched for stop smoking services in Plymouth, found our website and decided to give us a call. He was promptly put in contact with Alyson, one of our top NHS Health Improvement Practitioners, and subsequently set sail on his quit journey.

Andy had tried to give up “cold turkey” in the past and found it a real challenge. Alyson talked through all the nicotine replacement quit aids available and Andy decided to switch to vaping.

Within a couple of days, Andy received his free vaping kit through the post. “Vaping worked well for me as it gave me the hand-to-mouth action that I missed and they don’t smell horrible like cigarettes do. The amazing thing about vaping is that I have never once thought about having a cigarette, actually they have put me off them. People who smoke smell revolting and I’m glad I don’t smell like that anymore.”

Alyson and Andy met up fortnightly every Saturday morning at the Cumberland Centre in Devonport. Andy found these meetings motivating. “Alyson gave me her number to call anytime if I needed additional support outside of our usual meetings. It helped as I felt like I wasn’t alone. This is important when you’re giving something up as you already feel like you’re missing a limb, so having someone there for you helps. It’s also great that you have the same person every meeting as you get to know them and they get to know you, making you feel more comfortable.”

Andy reported that Alyson’s non-judgmental and supportive nature helped put him at ease: “I feel like smokers assume that they’re going be told how horrible they are and that they’re bad. But Alyson was completely non-judgemental and that was important for me.”

Alyson said: “It was such a pleasure to support Andy with his quit attempt, he was always so motivated and positive at his appointments and once he’d made his mind up to quit there was nothing that was going to stop him! It was great that we were able to work together to find a plan that would meet Andy’s needs, the combination of Andy’s determination, positivity and the right strength and flavour vape were the ticket to success. I wish Andy a wonderful, healthy and happy smoke-free future.”

If you would like advice and support to quit smoking, 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].