Breaking it down, step by step – Thomas’s story

Thomas decided to quit smoking knowing that it was harming his health. Although he had tried to quit before, he admits he wasn’t fully convinced it would be permanent at the time. After being referred, Thomas reached out to SmokeFree Norfolk, unsure but open to seeing whether support could help him finally stop.

“I’ve always known, logically, that smoking was harmful for me. I’d tried to quit before and managed two weeks, but I don’t think I really believed I would stop for good at that point.”

“I actually enjoyed the whole process of smoking, which made it harder to think seriously about quitting. When I contacted the service, I was still unsure whether I was really going to stop.”

SmokeFree Norfolk offers personalised stop smoking support tailored to each individual, including one to one sessions with a trained Stop Smoking Coach. Support focuses on breaking behaviour change into manageable steps, building confidence, and providing reassurance at challenging moments throughout the quit journey.

“I chose one-to-one phone support, and that was definitely the most helpful part for me. The conversations really helped me break everything down into small, achievable steps instead of feeling overwhelmed by the idea of quitting completely.”

“The last couple of days of smoking were mentally exhausting. Moving from the stronger nicotine patches to the weaker ones was also surprisingly difficult. The first time I was in a social situation I wasn’t enjoying, that was the only moment I really wanted a cigarette.”

“What helped me through was talking things through with my family and reminding myself that the moment would pass. Knowing I could contact my coach, Spencer, for advice if I needed to, made a huge difference.”

“The service has been really very good indeed. I genuinely feel that I couldn’t have stopped smoking without it. I’m now 12 weeks smokefree, and I’m very pleased with myself.”

“I’m putting the money I’ve saved into a jar my son gave me, and after six months I’m hoping to do something fun with the family. I’m also looking at different fitness options to try and have even restarted a childhood hobby — model making. Quitting smoking has opened the door to lots of positive changes for me.”