My name is Jeremy and with the help of Yorkshire Smokefree Wakefieldand my advisor Carrie I stopped smoking 18 months ago. You can read all about that here. I’m very proud of this accomplishment it was something I had always dreamed of the 30 something years I was a smoker. I’d made attempts before to stop but always struggled. The support and advice plus practical tools and incentives from Yorkshire Smokefree Wakefield certainly contributed to me successfully stopping smoking.
The other day I was in the garage buying diesel and I asked out of curiosity how much a packet of cigarettes costs now? I was shocked how much they have gone up in price in the last 18 months, as they were expensive back then. I’ve certainly noticed the financial benefits of stopping smoking, which has contributed to taking my kids on holidays, gym memberships and clothing.
Feeling the benefits to my health made me want to take it further so I joined a gym and enjoy working out and improving my fitness. When I smoked, I’d get out of breath running up the stairs but now I love to get out for walks with the kids. I’ve lots more energy to be a better father. But also, in my work as a builder I find working a lot easier and I’m far more productive.
It’s almost got to the point now where I forget I used to smoke. I can manage stress better and whereas before I’d want to smoke when I was having a challenging day, it’s the last thing I want to do. I use the coping mechanisms that my smoke free advisor taught me in the very early days.
