QUIT SMOKING
QUITTING
QUIT TRIO EMERGE OUT OF LOCKDOWNS AS NON-SMOKERS
and feel fantastic
The HSE QUIT programme helps thousands of people give up smoking every year, but research shows that many smokers choose to go it alone when they quit. With support from the Quit programme, friends, family or even other quitters, you have a much better chance of success. So, in March 2021, the QUIT campaign and the Irish Mirror recruited 10 would-be ex-smokers to join a team of QUIT leaders and share their stories. Leaders were recruited from all over Ireland and they were determined to QUIT for good. Each leader followed their own personalised QUIT Plan but all had the goal to stop smoking for 28 days because in doing so, you are 5 times more likely to QUIT for good. Here are some reasons why our leaders wanted to quit when we met them earlier this year. CONOR HINEY, Co Laois: “In October, myself and my partner had a baby girl. I don’t want her growing up in an environment where there’s smoking going on.” SHARON BROPHY, Co Dublin: “The last straw was my wheezing in the evening time.” RITA CONWAY, Co Dublin: “It’s a hard time to give up as we’re all deprived of so many things, but I keep telling myself this is not a deprivation.”
2021 QUIT leaders Conor Hiney, Sharon Brophy and Rita Conway.
After an eventful six months with lockdowns, vaccines and Ireland reopening, we caught up with our QUIT leaders once again in October to find out what impact quitting smoking had on them. RITA CONWAY: “All my health issues come from smoking. I had to stop. Since quitting my breathing has improved, I am definitely sleeping better and I don’t feel as anxious.” CONOR HINEY: “When I gave them up first, I started to taste food better... I was asking was there something different in the dinner, but there wasn’t, it was my sense of taste getting better!” SHARON BROPHY: “After the first week, I had more energy, I was sleeping
better... I was seeing all these things and physically experiencing benefits, so it made it easier when a craving did come along. I might have wanted a cigarette, but I wasn’t going to have one.”
Q U I T RESO U RC ES Watch all of the interviews with the Leaders on youtube.com/HSEIreland. You can start your own 28 days no smoking challenge and Quit journey by going to QUIT.ie, calling Freephone 1800 201 203 or free text QUIT to 50100.
FOR MORE INFORMATION : If you are a HSE staff member, you can avail of free stop smoking medication (nicotine replacement therapies and/or a prescription drug called Champix) to help you stop smoking. To find out about availing of free nicotine replacement therapy/champix in your area visit www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/tobaccocontrol/news/
HEALTH MATTERS WINTER 2021 | 27
