Success Stories - Quit smoking

Robert was spending an awful lot of money on cigarettes and was starting to creep above a packet a day. The realisation that he was now having to buy two packs per day to satisfy himself was the impetus he needed to call Live Well Suffolk to get help in quitting. Robert had quit previously through using Zyban, but relapsed after a family tragedy,

Robert did suffer the usual side effects that come with most quits including a
cough, but now just feels like a normal person and enjoys not depending on cigarettes. Robert quit using Champix.

Robert said: “My life is much better now. I found the whole process very good. The treatment was so effective that I felt guilty that it was so easy. I would definitely recommend the treatment to others.”

I used to smoke roll-ups and was smoking approximately 25-30 a day. I was smoking so much that I wasn't enjoying most of my cigarettes, other than the one first thing in the morning and then ones I was having after meals. I was just smoking them out of habit and routine. I had tried hypnosis in the past but I was only able to quit for 11 days before relapsing.

I quit using Champix, I didn't feel nausea at all and the treatment and support given to me by Live Well Suffolk staff made quitting really easy. I found myself not even thinking about smoking and I had no noticeable cravings.

Since quitting 10 weeks ago, I no longer smell of smoke and I have saved noticeable amounts of money. I have even joined a gym as I feel I want to be more active and I'm more confident in exercising.

I have recommended the treatment to friends already and would urge anyone who wants to quit smoking to go to Live Well Suffolk.

Phil was smoking around 20 roll-ups a day and had been smoking for 34 years. He did a lot of driving for work so would find himself smoking a lot in the car. During the breaks at work he used to 'power smoke' and smoke as many cigarettes as he could before his break was over. He was starting to find smoking 'anti-social' because of the smoking ban.

Philip attended one of Live Well Suffolk's stop smoking groups on a Tuesday evening in Ipswich. He was apprehensive at first because he couldn't ever see himself in a group and worried it would be corny or cheesy. However after his first visit Phil commented: “I was instantly put at ease by the advisor who talked as if he had known me for years”.

He decided to use Champix to quit and had no side effects and found the treatment excellent. Phil said: “I received practical ideas from other quitters and had a bit of banter with new friends. The experience was absolutely brilliant, helpful and uplifting and I would recommend it to others”.

He has noticed the many positives: his sense of smell is drastically better and his sense of taste has improved. He also feels he has his breath back and doesn't get out of breath as easily. He put on a kg of weight in the first few weeks, but had returned to his normal weight a few weeks later. Phil has now been smoke-free since September 2011.