A man whose life has been transformed since giving up smoking has vowed to inspire and help others in the same position.
As National No Smoking Day approaches on March 12, many people will be preparing themselves to give up cigarettes for good.
National No Smoking Day, like Stoptober and New Year, is a pivotal time for people to grasp the initiative and try to quit for good.
And for one person quitting really has changed their entire life. Rob Jones’, (41) personal story chimes with this year’s National No Smoking Day theme of ‘Take Back your Life’.
He started smoking on his first day of high school at 11 years old and continued to smoke for just under 30 years until he gave up with the help of the free Be Smoke Free Service in November 2024.
He was given a shock diagnosis of emphysema, due to his heavy smoking, which prompted his decision to quit cigarettes for good with the service’s help.
Now he is volunteering at the service and set to become a paid mentor for Change Grow Live. Not only was the diagnosis a health wakeup call, but it also changed his entire working live too as his previous job was working as a bin man.
Rob said:
“Peer pressure was a big part of why I started smoking. Initially it started with one or two a day, but it gathered pace from when I was about 16. I tried umpteen times to quit but I wasn’t ready, and I wasn’t doing it for me. “
He finally quit on November 8, 2024, with the smoking service who put him on a 12-week plan where he opted for vapes as the best way to help him to stop.
As a major champion of the support the service offers in helping him to stop smoking, Rob continued:
“It worked as I was ready, but the support was a massive factor – don’t think you can do it by yourself. I got phone calls, and the service was so supportive throughout my journey. My kids are proud of me having stopped smoking and hopefully it has a domino effect, and the ripple effect is that they won’t smoke.”
Councillor Thomas Robinson, Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care said:
“Manchester has big ambitions around helping people to quit and the good news is that our smoking rates are falling. It’s never too late to stop and help is always available. We know that most smokers will have tried to give up multiple times but it’s often only when they reach out for support that there is a chance that they will succeed; it is a fact that stopping without support is the least effective way to give up. Inspirational stories like Rob’s show the importance of never giving up.”
A free support service tailored to the individuals’ needs is available and the service is run by specialist nurses, and can be accessed via phone, video or in person. There are numerous options for people to choose what is right for them, whether it is nicotine patches, gum, vapes and medication can be delivered directly to the person.
Refer yourself straight into the Be Smoke Free service on manchester.gov.uk/BeSmokeFree
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