‘I managed to quit smoking for good’
Ex-smoker Leigh Mallon (32) is a project manager for a software company and lives in north Belfast with her partner Fionn Mcglinchey and their dogs Rosie and Poppy. Leigh had just started a Cancer Focus NI stop smoking clinic when lockdown happened. She says:
I’ve been smoking since I was about 21. I’d tried a few times as a teenager but didn’t like it at all. I became friends with a few smokers and when they went into the garden for a cigarette I didn’t want to be left behind. So I started with an occasional cigarette to be sociable and gradually increased the number.
I was never a big smoker. If I’d had a really stressful day I’d have eight or nine but more usually it was five or six a day. I still wanted to stop though and have had a few unsuccessful attempts. During one attempt I broke my leg so that was me back on them.
When Covid-19 arrived I decided that this would be the time to give up for good. A nurse at the Shore Road Surgery told me about the Cancer Focus NI stop smoking clinic held there. I was just in time for my initial consultation with the stop smoking specialist Allison before lockdown.
Instead of face to face meetings, Allison rang me every Tuesday to give me advice and just check up on me. She was always very encouraging and supportive, and reminded me of the money I was saving and of the health benefits and it stuck with me.
I found that I didn’t want to let her down by giving in. That one call a week was enough to keep me on track.
I was on Champix tablets which help relieve the cravings withdrawal symptoms, which was a great help. It also helped that I wasn’t going out for a drink or two, which is when I’d be tempted to smoke, and I wasn’t at the shops as often so couldn’t buy cigarettes.
I found it hard at the start but soon adapted to my new routine working from home.
Lockdown turned out to be a good time for me to quit although I would have struggled a lot more without the expert advice, support and motivation from Cancer Focus NI.
I’m very glad that I had the option of phone support and it was an excellent way for the charity to keep in touch with people.”