*THIS FORMER CLIENT, BASED IN THE CENTRAL OTAGO REGION, WISHES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS.
I smoked my first cigarette when I was six.
My mother used smoking as a tool to keep her calm and so my six-year-old brain figured that must be a pretty good idea.
I didn’t want Mum to know though so I’d try and disguise it with mouth wash. She never suspected a thing.
By age 10 I was smoking half a pack of tallies a day, and by 13 a full pack of 20s a day.
At 13 I was introduced to marijuana. After my first joint I didn’t touch cigarettes again for 24 years, and instead I smoked weed daily.
Eventually I got into trouble with the law around smoking marijuana and so I switched back to tobacco again.
I was highly addicted. If I ever run out of cigarettes, I’d be picking bits off the ash tray and lifting drawers to find crumbs I could roll. If I didn’t have zig zags I would use newspaper. The cravings were always very intense.
Smoking for me was a stress relief. I’ve had some significant physical injuries so it was always my go-to.
For eight years I smoked a 30gram a week.
Three months ago I decided to stop. I’d abused substances most of my life and smoking was the last to stop on my self-abuse list.
I made sure I had things in place. I organized a meeting with the Southern Stop Smoking Service and scattered the remainder of my last packet of tobacco all over the lawn. I used patches in the beginning, and then lozenges, and I haven’t had a single puff since the day I stopped.
The first week was tough and I had strong cravings but I don’t miss it at all now. I’ve got my eating habits in check and I’ve lost weight, I eat healthier and my skin is much better.
Even my dogs appreciate It. They used to look at me sideways if I smoked inside but I think they’re much happier now.
I would definitely recommend the Southern Stop Smoking Service. The coach facilitated the access to patches and lozenges, and kept me on track. I’m no longer a client and I’m determined never to smoke again.
I smoked my first cigarette when I was six.
My mother used smoking as a tool to keep her calm and so my six-year-old brain figured that must be a pretty good idea.
I didn’t want Mum to know though so I’d try and disguise it with mouth wash. She never suspected a thing.
By age 10 I was smoking half a pack of tallies a day, and by 13 a full pack of 20s a day.
At 13 I was introduced to marijuana. After my first joint I didn’t touch cigarettes again for 24 years, and instead I smoked weed daily.
Eventually I got into trouble with the law around smoking marijuana and so I switched back to tobacco again.
I was highly addicted. If I ever run out of cigarettes, I’d be picking bits off the ash tray and lifting drawers to find crumbs I could roll. If I didn’t have zig zags I would use newspaper. The cravings were always very intense.
Smoking for me was a stress relief. I’ve had some significant physical injuries so it was always my go-to.
For eight years I smoked a 30gram a week.
Three months ago I decided to stop. I’d abused substances most of my life and smoking was the last to stop on my self-abuse list.
I made sure I had things in place. I organized a meeting with the Southern Stop Smoking Service and scattered the remainder of my last packet of tobacco all over the lawn. I used patches in the beginning, and then lozenges, and I haven’t had a single puff since the day I stopped.
The first week was tough and I had strong cravings but I don’t miss it at all now. I’ve got my eating habits in check and I’ve lost weight, I eat healthier and my skin is much better.
Even my dogs appreciate It. They used to look at me sideways if I smoked inside but I think they’re much happier now.
I would definitely recommend the Southern Stop Smoking Service. The coach facilitated the access to patches and lozenges, and kept me on track. I’m no longer a client and I’m determined never to smoke again.