The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Kate stubs it out
Each week someone with a connection to CourierCountry tells us about the paths — good and bad — life has taken them on, or about a special moment in that life. This week KateS mith tells Jack McKeown how thearrival of her first grand daughter inspired he
KATE SMITH thought she would never be able to stop smoking. “I’d been doing it since I was 15,” she says. “If anyone had asked me I would have told them there was no way I could stop. ” Yet after 40 years of puffing Kate has finally stubbed out the habit, and for the most noble of reasons— wanting to live to see her grandchildren grow and flourish.
“My daughter had her first child and I thought that would be the time to give up. I didn’t want her growing up with a granny who smokes.
“My second grandchild will be along any day now.”
The 54-year-old didn’t fancy her chances of success, but then she encountered Tayside Smoke Free Services. “I bumped into smoking cessation officer Kelly Cruickshanks at one of their roadshows and told her I intended to give it up.
“She asked when I was planning to do that, which kind of caught me on the hop. So I said: ‘starting today!’”
Kelly put Kate on a 16-week smoking cessation programme, which involves patches, an inhalator . . . and plenty of moral support.
“She gave me a schedule to follow,” Kate continues. “I went to the pharmacy the next day and got the patches and inhalator. That was a Thursday and the programme said I could smoke until Friday. But I had one cigarette left and I was determined I wasn’t buying another pack. So I smoked that last one— there wasn’t a big fanfare or anything. I just smoked it and that was the last I had.”
Kate had been smoking a pack a day for decades: “When I started at 15 it was just a few here and there. Nobody smokes loads when they’re just starting, and at that age you can’t afford it, but for pretty much my whole adult life I smoked 20 a day.”
At around £7.50 a pack, Kate was spending well over £50 a week on cigarettes.
So far she’s saved more than £1,600. “I can’t believe how much money I was spending on smoking,” she says.
“I enjoyed spending some of that on Christmas presents, and I’m looking forward to spending the next £1,600 I save on my grandchildren.”
She says giving up smoking was easier than she could have anticipated: “The big thing that surprised me was the patches.
“I always thought they were just a bit of kidology. How can a bit of sticky on your arm make any difference? But they do really work. They help keep your cravings under control and you reduce the dosage over time until after 16 weeks you’re nicotine-free. “It made a big difference.” Kate is already feeling the benefits. “I only gave up in the summer but I feel healthier than I have in years.
“I’m no longer out of breath when I walk home from work or go up some stairs.
“One of the changes that has surprised me the most is how much my sense of taste has improved. I used to drink my coffee black, but a few weeks after quitting the cigarettes it started tasting bitter to me. Now I need to put milk in it.”
Tayside Smoke Free Services smoking cessation co-ordinator Kelly Cruickshanks said: “Giving up smoking can be challenging but with the right knowledge, tools and motivation, it is a goal that anyone can accomplish.
“As well as making financial savings from stopping smoking, some members of the group were eligible to join quit4u and received up to £150 in vouchers from participating supermarkets.
“The group shared their quit tips and techniques and kept each other motivated throughout. There is a real community spirit within groups and I am so proud of their achievements and wish them continued success on their quit journey.
“Giving up smoking is the single most important lifestyle decision that anyone can make to improve their health immediately.”