Laura Frost, peer recovery worker in the south Community Mental Health Team , was supported to stop smoking with the help of the QUIT Team.
Here’s Laura’s journey.
Laura began smoking as a teenager, initially as a social smoker however, soon became addicted and after a short amount of time was smoking around 20 cigarettes a day.
Laura had made previous quit attempts using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), however, without the one to one behavioural support from a professional, Laura soon found herself back smoking. However, this time her motivation to quit was threefold.
"I needed to quit due to medical reasons. I also didn’t want to waste any more money on buying cigarettes. I have always used cigarettes as a crutch when I have struggled or have been stressed and didn’t want to feel that I relied on them anymore. I self-referred to QUIT when I felt it was time to stop smoking, I had heard about QUIT on the staff intranet.
"Evidence reports that you are three times more likely to quit with not just the right nicotine replacement but with one to one behavioural support to manage withdrawals, low motivation and looking at managing cravings. Laura found this support beneficial to her achieving a quit.
"The best thing about QUIT is the encouragement that I have received from my coach. The advice that I have received has been invaluable and the NRT products which were tailored to me. I felt that it is a very person-centred and non-judgemental service.
It hasn’t been an easy journey for Laura, however support from quit around how to manage those difficult periods and the encouragement has been instrumental.
"The hardest part has been when I have been around other smokers in a social setting, but I have been able to manage this by making small changes to my activities to counter the temptation to smoke.
"Above all, I feel proud that I have managed to achieve this. I am confident that my health will improve and I’m much better off financially. Everyone has been really encouraging from my family, friends and even colleagues.
"I honestly feel that I wouldn’t have achieved this without the support of the QUIT programme and in particular my QUIT coach, Angelito."
