Colin’s Story:

Stopping smoking has transformed life for Colin, 35, from Newcastle — improving his health, easing money worries and opening new opportunities for his family. With support from his local stop smoking service, he stopped and turned things around for good.

“I started smoking when I was 18, about 20 a day. I wanted to stop mainly because my partner smoked too, and we were always spending money we didn’t have. Living wage to wage, borrowing before payday –I just thought, I’m in my mid-thirties now, I’ve got a decent job, so why am I doing this? I should be saving, doing better for myself and my family.”

“For a couple of weeks, I kept telling myself: I’m done, I’m done. I started putting myself off smoking – thinking it was horrible and realising I could smell cigarettes on other people. My dad smoked when I was a kid, and my sense of smell was affected. I didn’t want to do the same to my kids. That really hit me.”

“At the time, I was spending around £800 a month on cigarettes – me and my wife both smoked. When I worked five or six days a week in security, I’d buy a packet for me and a packet for her – around £15 each. My wife’s stopped too now; we stopped together. I saw the difference in what we could do with the money we were saving.”

“The first thing I bought was a bike, and I started cycling to work, which saved another £400 a month on travel. Soon after, we went to Blackpool – the trip was booked before I stopped, but this time, I could afford to buy my kids toys. Before, it would’ve been “you’ll have to share, I need my fags.” We went to the Pleasure Beach, the aquarium, something every day – that would never have happened before.”

“Now we’ve even got passports and booked a holiday to Spain next year. I put £180 a month into a holiday fund – impossible if we were still smoking. We’re going back to Blackpool again next June, Spain in November, and maybe Greece for a stag do.”

“I used a vape and patches to stop. One day I forgot the patch, then forgot again the next day, and realised I didn’t need them – vaping alone worked.”

“Simon from the stop smoking service in Newcastle made a huge difference.”

“Having weekly check-ins kept me motivated. I even bumped into Simon at the Pie Club – constant encouragement from someone who genuinely cared made all the difference to me.”

“June and July are always difficult months for me. My son was born in June and passed away in July. This year would have been his 13th birthday. It was really tough, but I never once thought about smoking. That’s when I knew I’d truly cracked it — and stopped for good.”

“I used to say when payday came, I might as well take £800 out of the bank and burn it. Spending £400 a month per person and getting nothing back – just burning paper and wrecking your health. Now, the smell is gone, I feel clean, and it just feels right this time.”

“I’m on my feet all day for my security work, so I’ve always been active, but I recover quicker now. I used to pick up coughs and bugs easily; they’d linger for ages. I haven’t had that since quitting, even with the usual nursery bugs.”

“It wasn’t the nicotine I missed – it was the activity. For 16 years, my hands went to my mouth every day. That motion, the movement – that’s what my body craved.”

“Life at home is better now. My kids are 3 and 2 – they don’t really understand yet, but mentally, physically, financially, we’re in a better place. We don’t worry about money all the time. We can buy what the kids need, take then on little trips, go to support family at events – things we’d never have done before.”

“My wife’s sister is going to be playing in a huge football tournament soon. She’s in the women’s FA Cup final! We’re going to go down to Middlesbrough to support her, which we would never have done.”

“If someone wants to stop smoking but isn’t sure they can, I’d say: be ready. Know your reasons and stick to them. Be prepared for the cravings – when they hit, do something else.”

“Contact your stop smoking service – the help makes a huge difference. For me, quitting wasn’t just about cigarettes – it gave us our life back.”