Clifford started smoking when he was 15 and, before he became smoke free, he would smoke a 50g pouch of tobacco every 8 – 9 days.
Suddenly, he received a transformational phone call from the Targeted Lung Health team who called him in for a chest scan. Following his scan, the lung health team asked if he would like to be smoke free, to which he replied “Yes!” The team then passed his phone number onto us with his consent, and he was shortly put into contact with Sarah, one of our expert health improvement practitioners.
Sarah provided Clifford with specialised, one-to-one ongoing support, offering encouragement and understanding of the nicotine addiction process. Together they developed a personalised quit plan that included a quit date, strategies to cope with cravings, withdrawal symptoms and behavioural change support.
To further assist Clifford with his quit attempt, Sarah talked through all the nicotine replacement products available. Of all the options he decided to quit smoking with the aid of nicotine patches and nicotine spray.
Clifford said:
“The patches and spray really helped with the cravings. I always used to have a cigarette with a cup of tea in the morning so I’d remember to put a patch on at night so that I wouldn’t be craving first thing in the morning.”
Clifford also found the carbon monoxide (CO) monitor to be a valuable tool for motivation as it provided visible, tangible evidence of the harm caused by smoking and allowed him to track his progress. Seeing the elevated CO levels in his breath reduce over time demonstrated the positive impact of being smoke free and this spurred him on.
Clifford said:
“My first CO reading was 15 (ppm) and after a short while it went down to 2 (ppm). I got a real kick out it!”
Clifford admitted that he did have a small relapse on his birthday but Sarah reminded him that relapses are normal and it’s important not to feel too down or give up on quitting:
“Even though I relapsed on my birthday, Sarah told me not to beat myself up about it, even though I still did, and to get back to quitting again. Getting this reassurance really helped.”
Clifford expressed how pleased he was that he didn’t give up on quitting as his new quit attempt was hotly pursued by significant health benefits, Clifford said:
“My breathing feels 100% better. Before when I was smoking, I could not even hold a conversation without pausing to cough all the time. I feel so much better now.”
What’s more, Clifford is saving around £90 a month by not smoking and he spends the money he would have saved on his motorbike and car projects.
Now that Clifford is feeling so much healthier and wealthier, he admitted that he dreads the thought of ever smoking again:
“I had a dream where I rolled a cigarette in the morning and smoked it. I cannot describe in words how relieved I felt when I woke and realised it was all a dream!”