Take the 28 day Stoptober challenge
With Stoptober, the 28 day quit challenge just around the corner, Patrick and his daughter from Plymouth are urging other smokers to follow their success and quit for good.
Patrick Lomax, ex-military and now in his 50s, was smoking up to a packet of hand-rolled tobacco a week when he decided to quit for financial reasons. Having tried before and relapsed, this time he asked his local Stop Smoking Service to help him quit for good.
Patrick said, “I can’t praise the Stop Smoking Service enough, they were so helpful, encouraging and very understanding. In the end I found stop smoking medicine helped me. The Advisors are absolutely worth their weight in gold and anybody thinking of quitting should find out what they can offer”.
His daughter Becci Lomax, 34, a former nurse from Plymouth and now a full time carer, first tried smoking when she was just 12 years old and later went on to smoke up to 40 roll-ups a day. Wanting the best for her 9 year old disabled son, Becci decided to quit for her health and her finances. Inspired by her dad becoming smokefree, Becci contacted the same Stop Smoking Service for support to quit.
“I want to be there for my son and provide for him every step of the way. I was concerned about my future health, I want to see my son grow up and be there for him.”
“A big motivation for me was the finances, I was smoking 40 roll-ups a day. That adds up to a lot of money that I’d rather spend on things that benefit my son.”
“I was prescribed nicotine replacement patches and learnt how to take myself away from stressful situations instead of smoking. I realised cigarettes were just taking me away from it for a few minutes and costing me money. So now I take deep breaths, step outside for some fresh air or listen to music instead.”
“It gave me a great buzz to see that my health was improving almost straight away. When my Advisor took my carbon monoxide reading I could see it go down from week to week”.
“My dad recommended the local Stop Smoking Service and I do too, they are a fantastic support. My dad and I also supported each other because we are both determined to stay smokefree.”
Councillor Sue McDonald, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Public Health for Plymouth City Council, said: “Patrick and Becci are a great example to people that with the right support in place, you can quit smoking, at any time in your life, no matter what your age.
“We hope lots of people in Plymouth will take the opportunity of Stoptober to make steps to improve their health – and why not do it together with friends or family?”
Professor Kelechi Nnoaham, Director of Public Health for Plymouth City Council, said: “Professor Kelechi Nnoaham, Director of Public Health for Plymouth City Council, said: “We know that in Plymouth, smoking is one of four lifestyle behaviours – along with excessive drinking, inactivity and poor diet –that together lead to four chronic conditions which account for 54 per cent of deaths in Plymouth. This is why our Thrive Plymouth ten year framework for improving health in the city is prioritising reducing smoking rates in the city. So why not follow Patrick and Becci’s lead and quit smoking this Stoptober.”
If you want to quit this Stoptober, search “Stoptober” online and sign up to the 28 day quit challenge. For advice and support along the way contact the Livewell Plymouth Stop Smoking Service on 01752 437177 or visit us at www.livewellplymouth.co.uk
