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Cardiac Support Worker, Andrea McCloskey, who began smoking at the age of 38, has detailed how she managed to stop smoking after 10 years so she can help others quit the habit.

The Smoking Cessation Team at the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust is marking No Smoking Month, by offering advice and support to those who want to stop smoking, with this year’s theme being ‘Make March Your Month to Quit’.

In September 2022, Andrea contacted the team for advice on how to begin her smoking cessation journey and with a level of determination, she started Nicotine Replacement Therapy. The team recommended the Replacement Therapy for a total of 12 weeks, however by December 2022, Andrea felt confident and after six weeks of Replacement Therapy, she has not smoked since.

Growing up with parents who smoked, Andrea said, “I hated the smell of smoke, especially in our home. I began smoking socially when I was about 38, as all of my friends were smokers, I then ended up smoking all of the time, especially in my previous job as I did shift work and my colleagues were also smokers.

Cardiac Support Worker, Andrea McCloskey has kicked the habit thanks to help from the SEHSCT Smoking Cessation Team

“Throughout my journey I really had tried to quit on a number of occasions but always failed, I think I had tried to stop smoking previously but this was to please others and I didn’t have the motivation to do it for myself.

“As I now work as part of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Team, this change in working environment definitely opened my eyes. I saw first-hand the effects smoking can have on your heart health.”

Andrea insists the Smoking Cessation Service is very encouraging. The team was on hand to provide Andrea with helplines which she could contact for further support and stay in regular contact with members of the team via text message; something she found particularly helpful if she felt that she was having a difficult day.

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When asked about how much she used to smoke Andrea said, “Looking back now, I was smoking nearly a full packet of cigarettes a day, at a cost of over £70 a week, so this added cost really encouraged me to quit smoking. After the six weeks on Nicotine Replacement Therapy, I knew the craving was gone.”

For further information contact [email protected].

Andrea kicked the habit thanks to support from the South Eastern Trust Smoking Cessation Team