Donna started smoking when she was 20 and before she became smoke-free she was smoking two 50g pouches of tobacco a week.

Donna was convinced that smoking was putting her at greater risk of chest infections as she would get one every year. She also found that smoking affected her breathing. “I would get breathless when walking up hills and I live on a big hill! At night, I would cough when I lay down and it was stopping me from sleeping. All this I put down to smoking.” Tired of the breathlessness and coughing, Donna knew it was time to quit.

Donna’s sister is one of our successful quitters and recommended our smoking cessation support services. Donna gave us a call and was promptly connected with our Health Improvement Practitioner, Sarah.

Sarah talked through all the stop-smoking support aids available and she decided to quit using patches and a vape. Sarah supplied Donna with patches and a vaping kit with three months’ supply of vaping fluids as part of our ‘Swap to Stop’ vaping programme. “Vaping helped with the habit of inhaling something and it also gave me that hand-to-mouth movement which I missed.”

Since becoming smoke-free Donna noticed some real improvements to her health: “My cough has got a lot better and I’m not wheezing or coughing at night. My breathlessness has greatly decreased, I live on a steep hill and can now tank up the hill with no problems. My skin is looking a lot better too, friends even ask me what skin products I’m using!”

As well as improved health, Donna’s bank balance has improved too. “I am saving £70 a week by not smoking which helps me cope a lot better with the cost of living crisis and keep on top of bills.”

Donna’s advice to others thinking about giving quitting a go: “Take it one day at a time. The process will get easier every day if you don’t smoke.”