Sean Christopher Joyce from Shipley supports the Living Well stop smoking campaign

Sean was a regular heavy smoker for almost 50 years. He tried to stop smoking many times, although in his words it was usually ‘half-heartedly’ although 10 years ago he did manage to stop on his own for about nine months.

Sean says that as a child, cigarettes were everywhere, he could buy single cigarettes from his local shop when he was as young as 12 years old. Some cigarettes were sold in small packs of five to make them even more affordable. Cigarette companies paid for product placement on TV in films and soaps, and he says he can remember Columbo having a cigar in his hand while leaning over a corpse! It was also considered normal for people to give a cigarette as a thank you for running an errand.

Sean says that when he decided to stop smoking for good this time, he was on such a high and felt he had already succeeded in his goal. Later that week he spoke with Mehzar, his Living Well Stop Smoking adviser and decided he didn’t want to use any substitutions or NRT. Sean said the inspiration that Mehzar gave him was all he needed to get through and as strange as it sounds, in his fleeting thoughts of failure, he felt like he would be letting Mehzar down. He says that he felt as though Mehzar was in his head, accompanying him on every step of his quit journey!

Sean says: “I now realise that I held the power myself, the patches etc were only stage props. Not having to rely on cigarettes to get me through a rough patch and having the right mind-set as well as the right environment to get me through the bad days has made all the difference. I’m on day 51, now and I’m 95% there. I love the sense of freedom and the confidence to say NO MORE!”

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 also 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