Page 15 - Inspire Magazine

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Tips

Keep busy:
Maybe do some
DIY, have a
spring clean or
go for a walk.
Take up a new
hobby or log on
Debra to Quit Support. Peter L.

Feeling hungry?
“I was that person frantically puffi ng away Try chewing “Having smoked for 45 years, I knew
outside the airport, only boarding the sugar free gum quitting wasn’t going to be easy. The
or mints.
plane at the very last minute. I’d tried to Eat low calorie cravings were really bad but I expected
quit about three times before but once I snacks like that. However, I then started having panic
started to gain weight, I would start again. carrots or celery. attacks and was suffering with insomnia.
Have a glass
of water.
Then on 7th February 2018, I bought I didn’t know what to do. I went to the
Be positive:
a pack, took out all the cigs and broke You can do it and doctor. He gave me some sedatives but
them into a million pieces. I was done. I don’t be too hard warned they were very addictive. I
was tired of depending on this garbage. on yourself. If you didn’t want to exchange one addiction
do start smoking
again, don’t worry. for another so I didn’t take them.
Just like before, I started to gain weight You haven’t failed.
but instead of giving up, I joined a gym. Think of all the Then, during one of my sleepless nights, I
cigarettes you
Losing weight wasn’t easy but I will not haven’t smoked found the Quit Support forum. I
resort to smoking just to lose weight. and quit again. explained the problem and was amazed
by the amount of replies I had from
Use your local stop
I also joined Quit Support and I think this smoking service. people suffering from the same thing.
has made the difference. The people on
this site have truly kept me going. They Join Quit Support Just knowing I wasn’t alone and there
Our free online
are all very supportive and do not judge forum is here to were people who really understood what
you whatsoever. support you I was going through helped.
through every
Quitting wasn’t easy. I had horrible aspect of quitting. I log onto the site daily and often let
cravings but I did my breathing exercises, www. people know how I’ve been and what I’ve
healthunlocked.
drank a lot of water and kept my mind com/quitsupport been doing. I still have cravings and bad
busy and eventually the cravings went nights but they’re getting less with time.
away. I am now over six months smoke-
free and I am really proud of myself.” Stopping smoking is by far one of the
hardest things I’ve ever done and without
All three QuitSupporters started smoking when they were teenagers. this forum, along with the support of my
It is not uncommon: 66% of people start smoking before they turn 18.
family and friends, I would have failed.
Quit Support needs a massive pat on the
Our youth programme, Cut Films, looks to address this. Instead of back for all the work it does.”
preaching about the dangers of smoking, we get students to create
their own short fi lm with the single brief that it needs to dissuade
their peers from smoking. During the sessions, we then provide them
with information about all aspects of tobacco – from the health risks to child labour exploitation.

smoking. To fi nd out more about our preventative work or help stop the next generation

from getting lung cancer, visit www.roycastle.org/stopsmoking
And it’s working: 93% of students said taking part made them more aware of the harm caused by INSPIRE 2018
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