Today our Managing Director, Tracy Woods is celebrating 5 months since quitting smoking. That’s 152 days since her last cigarette! With it being half way through Stoptober we sat down with Tracy to speak to her about her decision to kick the habit.

Tracy said ‘Although it was one of the hardest decisions to make I am so pleased that I have made it this far and I’m determined to stay a non-smoker.

When I first decided to give up I visited the NHS Smoking Nurse and after looking at multiple avenues of support I decided to go cold turkey and not use any nicotine replacements. I have already started to feel the health benefits; my blood pressure has reduced significantly and my circulation has improved which is excellent as I am preparing to climb Mount Snowdon next year. I calculated that over the year I spend on average around £3000 on cigarettes, which has already contributed to future holidays.

This last 5 months has taken a lot of determination and will power and it couldn’t have been achieved without the support of family and friends.

I have found getting the right support was key to my success.

What is Stoptober?

Stoptober is a nationwide drive to encourage people to kick the habit. Every year, it is thought that over 150,000 smokers commit to quitting for good. With over 8 million adults in England smoking cigarettes, the impact on health can be catastrophic.

Like many things in life, smoking is a habit and habits can be hard to break. It takes a firm, unwavering commitment – also known as willpower – to ignore the cravings that accompany stopping smoking. The nicotine in cigarettes affects the brain and when levels drop, the cravings for a cigarette is what causes many people trying to kick the habit to relent. Cravings can last for only a few seconds, but this is the time when someone is at their most vulnerable to reaching for a packet.

The benefits

As well as the obvious health benefits, there is also the money saved from not buying cigarettes. Depending on how many a day you smoke, you could save hundreds of pounds over the course of the year.

Find out how much you could save with the NHS smoke-free calculator – https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree/why-quit/cost-calculator

Help is available

The NHS has a number of tricks and tactics that can help you stop smoking. For more information visit – https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/quit-smoking/stoptober/