Celebrating a whole year smoke-free – Sarah’s story

Before accessing Smokefree Norfolk, Sarah had previously quit smoking for three years but had gradually returned to smoking while travelling for work. With uncontrolled asthma and several severe chest infections requiring steroids, Sarah was determined to stop again. She set herself the personal goal of quitting before turning 50 and reached out to the service for support to help her achieve it.

“I’d managed to stop smoking before, with my longest quit lasting three years. Unfortunately, I started having the occasional puff again while travelling for work and gradually returned to smoking. My asthma was terribly uncontrolled, and I’d also had three quite severe chest infections that needed steroids, so I knew I wanted to make a change.”

Smokefree Norfolk provides free, specialist support to help people quit smoking. Through personalised one-to-one support and access to stop smoking treatments, the service helps people find an approach that works for them, manage cravings and build the confidence to work towards becoming smoke-free.

“I chose the vape option and received one-to-one remote support. Having the vape provided for free made a huge difference because I didn’t have the burden of regularly going to the shops. I also found the support calls really helpful. They were timed just right, and having remote support worked well for me because I don’t think I would have attended a face-to-face clinic.”

“Even when I faced stress at work, I didn’t feel that I needed to smoke. I reminded myself that I had everything I needed with my vape, and that was more than enough for me. Changing my mindset helped me stay focused on becoming smoke-free.”

“I’m now over one year smoke-free! I wanted to stop before my 50th birthday, and now I’ve reached my 51st birthday having been smoke-free for the whole year. Reaching that milestone feels like such an achievement, and I’m really proud to be able to say that I did it.”

“I’ve also been able to enjoy the financial benefits of quitting. Initially, I used the money I would have spent on smoking to buy better-quality food from the butcher, and I’ve also been able to shop more and treat myself.”

“Overall, I’ve found the service great and have recommended it many times to colleagues at work. Having the right support at the right time helped me achieve the goal I’d set for myself and being able to celebrate more than a year smoke-free has made it all worthwhile.”