Road to recovery” – Tammy’s story

Tammy self-referred to the Smoke Free Life service for professional help with making the quit for good. Following the diagnosis of COPD and thyroid cancer, Tammy was certain about the changes she wanted to make to improve her health and wellbeing.

Our fully qualified Health Coaches will provide you with one-to-one personalised support to help you make a quit plan and set a quit date. Our Health Coaches can advise on nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and prescribe quit aids such as gums, patches and inhalators.

Tammy had previously tried to quit smoking before, but after a few months she was led back to the habit through stress. “My breathing and health were getting worse”, said Tammy, explaining that she “felt anxious about initially contacting the service for support”, however she knew she needed to for her health.

Quitting smoking improves mental health and reduces the likelihood of developing depression. Stopping smoking will reduce stress levels, improve overall quality of life, and positively boost moods.

“My goal was to become smoke free, and I used the inhalator which was great. I tried patches and the vape but found that the inhalator was best for me. The chats I had with my Health Coach really helped. This was important for me, and I want to thank Ruth for her support throughout my journey to be smoke free.

“I didn’t face any challenges along the way and found the whole experience great. The Smoke Free Life has been brilliant, and really helped me through a rough time of breathing difficulties following throat surgery. I am now 12 weeks into a smoke free life, and I don’t intend on smoking ever again, in fact, with the money I’ve saved from buying cigarettes, I am saving for Christmas and a nice holiday.”