Quitting smoking isn’t easy, but my asthma symptoms are definitely better

My health was my biggest motivation for stopping smoking because I have asthma. 

Since I stopped smoking, I've noticed I don’t feel so out of breath or wake up coughing every morning.  

I’ve also felt a huge increase in my lung capacity and I’m able to exercise more. That’s played a major part in motivating me because I found it harder to exercise when I was smoking.  

Stopping smoking helped me get out and do more with my asthma

The cold weather really affects my asthma, particularly if I'm out running or doing anything like that. There have been times when I've wanted to exercise and haven’t been able to because of the cold. Even though the cold weather still impacted me this year, I generally didn’t feel it as much this time. I feel like not having smoked during that late winter period made it easier for me to actually get out. There was definitely an improvement in what I was able to do. 

I just focused on getting through each week at a time 

I found it helpful to set short-term goals and get through each week at a time. I tried not to worry about the next six or 12 months.  

I like tracking and visualising the impact of stopping smoking, seeing how I've consistently done something and how it’s led to a positive impact.  

I have an app to track how long I’ve stayed smoke-free, like the NHS Quit Smoking app. I can also see how the number of steps I take or minutes I exercise or walk each week has increased on my phone. 

Having a support network really helped me quit 

I think I’d have really struggled to quit without my wife’s support. She doesn't smoke but she has done in the past. She’s been really encouraging and supports me without judgement. In my experience, it’s not helpful to have people negatively pushing you or just telling you that you shouldn’t be smoking, even if you want to quit. 

When my wife can tell I’m struggling, she asks if I’m alright and how she can help me. She encourages me to go to the gym or for a run. 

I think you need a good support network to help you quit. It’s important to have people around you who are going to help you without judging you. 

Make sure that they understand the reasons you want to quit and what you find helpful. 

I can reinvest the money I save in my health 

When I was smoking, I felt like the enjoyment I got from smoking was worth the cost of it, despite it being expensive. 

But when you add up how much you're spending on smoking, it's quite devastating to think about what you could’ve done with that money. Since stopping, I’ve noticed that I’m not only saving money but that I can reinvest it in other places: I'm eating healthier, I've been able to go out to do activities like walking and hiking a little bit more and things like that.  

Don’t give up on giving up smoking 

It sounds cliché, but don't give up on giving up. It's alright if you have setbacks - it's not easy. It’s a habit, and it’s very addictive. But if you stick with it and you focus on the positive benefits of stopping smoking, then you’ll notice the positive outcomes more.  

Ideally, you wouldn’t have any cigarettes, but don't beat yourself up if you do have one. It's not the end of the world. The difference is that you would previously go out and buy 20, but now you just had one. 

I found it helpful to try to avoid any kind of temptation during the first few weeks of quitting. For me, this meant avoiding alcohol because I linked drinking with smoking.  

After a few weeks, I felt comfortable being in environments where people were drinking again because I would plan ahead. I now make sure I have a goal in mind for what I do if somebody offers me a cigarette or if I’m going to be around people who smoke.