A fresh start – Zane’s story

Zane made the decision to quit smoking after experiencing a deeply personal loss. Motivated by watching his mum pass away from lung cancer, he reached out to Smoke Free Norfolk for support, determined to make a lasting change to his health and future.

“Watching my mum pass from lung cancer was my motivation to quit. When I was smoking, I’d notice that illness would linger, coughs would last weeks, and I was often out of breath.”

Smoke Free Norfolk is a free local service that supports people to quit smoking for good. Through personalised one-to-one coaching, expert advice, and access to stop smoking aids such as nicotine replacement therapy and vapes, the service helps individuals build the confidence and skills needed to become smoke free and improve their overall health.

“I felt excited but very nervous about contacting the service. It was a bit apprehensive at first, but I chose one-to-one support using patches and lozenges, as well as a 0% vape.”

“The most helpful part was being able to come and talk to someone openly about smoking — the dangers, the impact on health, and even the financial side of it. Talking everything through in detail really helped me.”

“I’ve managed to stay on track by understanding how smoking and drinking can trigger each other and working to keep both under control. The support has been brilliant — I really enjoy the conversations and didn’t feel very hopeful before I started, but it’s been extremely helpful.”

“I’ve now been smoke free for eight weeks and counting. The money I’ve saved even helped me buy a new fridge freezer when mine broke, which made a big difference. I’m planning to stay smoke free and continue building on this progress.”