Abuelgasim from Bradford is now smoke free after quitting smoking with the Living Well stop smoking service

Abuelgasim, who is in his 60s, came to live in Bradford from Sudan. He used chewing tobacco from the age of 16, but when he came to live in this country, he realised that spitting the chewing tobacco juice was not a sociable thing to do. In Sudan everyone was doing it, but he was very addicted, so he started smoking at the age 24.

Abuelgasim managed to quit smoking in 2015 with the support of his family but began again a few years later. As he approaches retirement age, he realised that he wanted to quit so that he would live longer. He was struggling with the cost of tobacco and also used to feel really down and sometimes didn’t even want to go out.

Abuelgasim says: “The Living Well stop smoking service and my advisor have been great. I think you do a good job and you have bent over backwards to help me and explain everything I needed to successfully quit”.

He worked with his stop smoking advisor to look at the best way for him to combat his cravings and decided to use a vape, which he says has helped him a lot.

He says: “I now feel really good, I can feel the difference. I don’t feel anti-social and feel more accepted. I still have some cravings after eating sometimes, but I feel great, I think I will live longer, and I can now look forward to enjoying my retirement”.

If you’re ready to start your own quit journey, you’re three times more likely to quit using the Living Well stop smoking service.

At your first appointment a specially trained Living Well stop smoking advisor will discuss everything with you and create a tailored, personal quit plan that works for you.

They will help you decide the best way to combat nicotine cravings and can offer you a free 12 week vaping kit or prescribe Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT). The service is completely free of charge, you will only pay for prescribed NRT treatments if you usually pay for your prescriptions.

To find help and advice to quit smoking contact the Living Well stop smoking service on 01274 437700. Appointments can be made face to face, over the phone and by email, whatever works best for you.

You can also find out more here

(Photo is of Idrees one of the Stop Smoking Advisors)