Time to quit– Stephen’s story

Stephen made the life-changing decision to quit smoking after a health scare. Following a hospital appointment where an unexpected chest infection was discovered, he realised the importance of taking action and reached out to Smoke Free Norfolk for support.

“I had a hospital appointment and discovered I had an unknown chest infection. It could have been bad, but I was lucky, so this was now the time to quit. I felt I was not going to be lucky twice.”

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 or vapes, the service helps individuals build the confidence and skills needed to become smoke free. Ongoing encouragement and tailored support give people the best chance of quitting successfully and improving their health.

“I’d been smoking all my life, and I just accepted that I was a smoker. When I contacted the service, I felt fine about it — it couldn’t do me any harm, and I felt confident as I’d been given the number by my GP surgery.”

“I chose one-to-one support with a coach, with weekly and fortnightly calls, and used a vape as part of the treatment. The most helpful part was definitely my coach and the support I received. I’d never had that kind of support before, and I really valued having someone there for me.”

“I didn’t come across any real challenges. I was surprised at how quickly my vape arrived, and I was even more surprised at how easy it was to quit once I got started.”

“The service was excellent, and I’ve now been smoke free for seven weeks. I’m planning to stay smoke free — most definitely.”