Shaun's Story Ex-smoker Shaun Bettison says he feels “fantastic” now he no longer has to use cigarettes to get him through stressful times. After a string of life events which saw him going back to smoking, Shaun has finally quit for good thanks to the support of health trainer Scott and by using free nicotine patches. Four years ago Shaun’s father died from cancer, then in the past year, he and his partner both dealt with cancer diagnoses and treatment, and then his mum died suddenly. Download Full Case Study

Pete's Story HGV driver Pete Milner is breathing more easily and sleeping better just six weeks after giving up smoking with the support of York Health Trainers. Pete, from the Stockton Lane area of York, said he had smoked for more than 50 years before a diagnosis of COPD finally prompted him to quit. He was referred to the Health Trainer service and chose to use nicotine patches to help him stop with regular support sessions from health trainer Toni over the phone. Download Full Case Study

Joe's Story Joe, from Hull, started smoking when he was just 11 years old. Now 38, and a father of three with another child on the way, he looks back and realises just how young he was. At the time, smoking seemed normal - everyone at school was doing it, and Joe never imagined it would lead to decades of addiction. He spent years smoking a mixture of tobacco and cannabis every day, sometimes reaching up to 40 cigarettes. He tried to quit several times but never believed it would truly be possible. “I first started smoking when I was 11. At the time it felt normal - everyone around me was doing it. I never imagined it would become something I’d still be struggling with nearly 30 years later. Download Full Case Study

Scott's Story Scott, from Rotherham, started smoking when he was 17. What began as curiosity - watching friends and family smoke - soon became a 25-year addiction. Last year he quit smoking with help from his local stop smoking service, showing that it is never too late to quit. “I grew up around smoking. My mum smoked, my grandad smoked, and most of my friends smoked. I always wondered why, and eventually my curiosity got the better of me. That’s why I tried my first cigarette. Before I knew it, smoking was part of my routine and part of my identity. Download Full Case Study

Roy's Story Roy, 45, from Brighouse, quit smoking seven years ago with the help of Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale. He had smoked since he was a teenager and in his late thirties, he realised that smoking was impacting his health and he wanted to break his addiction to cigarettes. “I started smoking when I was at college, so I was about 16 I was out with a few of my friends who were smoking, and they egged me on to give it a go. It just felt cool at the time, and I wanted to fit in and be part of the group. I didn’t really think about the fact that after having one, I’d want another one and that’s how it started. I didn’t know cigarettes were bad for me or that they were addictive. Download Full Case Study

Richard's Story After the birth of his third child, Richard from Horton in Bradford knew it was time to quit smoking. He’d tried to quit before but this time he was determined to do it for his family. He’s been quit for more than a year and is enjoying having more money in his pocket and spending less time smoking and more time with his children. Richard who is a business development officer for a charity, says: “I grew up in care and started smoking when I was 12 as I wanted to belong to a group. When you’re that age you don’t realise the hold it’s going to have on you for the rest of your life. “I tried to quit lots of times but it’s a strong addiction to beat, however, when my son was born, I was determined to quit for good. Download Full Case Study

Peter's Story Peter from Wombwell in Barnsley had smoked for more than 60 years when he quit so he could get the knee replacement surgery he needed. Peter says: “I needed a new knee so knew I needed to quit. I just got it into my head that I was going to quit so I set a quit date and booked an appointment at my local stop smoking clinic. After the first few days it was easy – I only wish I’d done it sooner.” Peter who used to be a lorry driver started smoking when he was 16 - he credits the support he got from Barnsley stop smoking service with helping him to quit after such a long time. Download Full Case Study

Karen and Carol's Story Sisters, Carol Downing and Karen Craven, from Doncaster quit smoking together after Karen became seriously ill with legionnaires pneumonia. Now they’ve both quit, they’ve got more money for holidays and days out together. Karen became ill while on holiday and was diagnosed with Legionnaires Pneumonia which you get from breathing in Legionella bacteria. It can affect your lungs, brain and gut and is more serious if you smoke as your lungs are already damaged from smoking. Seventy one year old Carol says: “I thought Karen was going to die, it was one of the scariest times of my life.” Download Full Case Study

Paul's Story Paul, from Sheffield, started smoking when he was six or seven. Everyone around him smoked, including his mum and dad. He started pinching cigarettes and he was soon hooked. Now 62, Paul quit smoking with support from Smokefree Sheffield. Years of smoking, rising costs and worries about his health gave him the push he needed to become an ex-smoker. “When I started smoking, I had no idea about the harms. I was young and everyone around me was doing it. It didn’t take long before I was hooked – very quickly smoking a cigarette first thing in the morning became a habit for more than 50 years. Download Full Case Study

Karen's Story Karen Sumpter, 73, from Scunthorpe smoked for over fifty-five years before a health scare over the festive period made her realise, she needed to quit before it was too late. Karen had been fighting a chest infection for a few weeks and was struggling to breathe. So, she went to see her GP who referred her to a specialist stop smoking advisor at the Ironstone Centre, who has transformed Karen’s life. “I started smoking when I was sixteen, as it was the in thing back then and socially everyone was smoking. I never really thought about how much I was smoking – it just crept up and I ended up smoking 40 cigarettes a day. Download Full Case Study

Ann's Story Ann, from Northallerton, started smoking when she was around 21. Many of her friends smoked and at the time it felt like the ‘cool’ thing to do. What started as something social soon became a daily habit, and before long she was smoking around 15 cigarettes a day. Now 75, Ann has finally quit smoking – something her family had been encouraging her to do for decades. “Smoking really impacted my health. I remember one day I woke up and I just couldn’t catch my breath. I ended up being in hospital for three weeks and that's when I was diagnosed with COPD. Download Full Case Study

Clair's Story After her dad died from heart failure having smoked all of his life, Clair Smith from Leeds knew it was time to quit. She had smoked for nearly 30 years before she quit for good with support from Inspire North Leeds Stop Smoking Service. “I started smoking when I was around 17 as everyone did it, so I thought I’d try it and that was it. I was hooked and I smoked most of my life. I smoked roll-ups and it varied on daily basis to how much I smoked as it depended on what I was doing. Some days it would be five cigarettes, some days it would be 25. Download Full Case Study

Amy's Story Amy from Hull started smoking when she was 12 but quit after seeing her mum go through kidney and lung cancer caused by smoking. Shortly into her quit journey she found out she was pregnant with her first child which gave her the motivation she needed to stay smokefree. Amy says: “Seeing my mum go through kidney and then lung cancer was horrible. I thought if she can stop smoking after 34 years then I can quit too. And then finding out I was pregnant was a big motivator to keep going and stay quit. Download Full Case Study

Alex's Story Alex started smoking at a young age. Looking ahead to her health, the beauty of her non-smoking mother and grandmother that, having children, and a nudge from her GP led her to the stop smoking service and a successful quit that was easier than she imagined.

Jillian's Story Jillian started smoking at 15, initially as a social habit, but it became an addiction she thought she'd never overcome. Despite multiple attempts, including quitting during her pregnancy, she always returned to smoking. Her turning point came when her young son expressed fear for her health, urging her to quit. Motivated by his concern, Jillian tried the 28-day quitting app, committing to stop temporarily. By the end of 28 days, she felt healthier, guilt-free, and empowered. Now over six months smoke-free, Jillian encourages others to seek support and take small, achievable steps toward quitting.

Hazel's Story Hazel started as a social smoker, but it soon became a daily habit. When the reality of a long flight with cigarettes hit home, she turned to Steve from the Healthy Lifestyles team for help. With his support and taking it one day at a time, Hazel is now months into her quitting journey and hasn't looked back since. Download Full Case Study

Sheen's Story Sheen, who began smoking at a young age, experienced a decline in mental health and became increasingly aware of the health impact on those around him. Heartbroken by his children's concern when sharing his struggles, he found support through work and the Stop and Swap scheme. This helped him embark on a quitting journey, leading to a healthier lifestyle. Download Full Case Study

Jeremy's Story After being a smoker for 34 years and concerned about his health and being there for his children, Jeremy finally decided to make a change. Being referred to SmokeFree helped him start his quitting journey, and with strong determination, he was willing to try anything to stop smoking. Download Full Case Study

Gillian's Story Gillian was diagnosed with COPD in 2009, shortly after the birth of her youngest son. Despite the challenges, she was adamant in her determination to make positive changes for both herself and her son. Download Full Case Study

Rachel's Story Facing the financial burden and yellowing of the lips and fingers that smoking caused motivated Rachel to quit for the good of her and her little boy.

Kamran's Story Smoking made Kamran so out of breath that he couldn’t lift his ill father after a collapse. This was a life changing moment and motivator to get his health back on track. Download Full Case Study

Wendy's Story After recently undergoing surgery to remove lung cancer, Wendy urges anyone who smokes to seek help to stop smoking. A scan following recent surgery for kidney cancer – also attributable to smoking - revealed a growth on her lung. Fortunately, Wendy had stopped smoking as continuing to smoke means that surgery may not be an option due to the significant risk. By stopping smoking improves the function of all major organs needed to support you through surgery or treatment. Download Full Case Study