‘I let my guard down but I’m back on track’

As part of the Hold My Light campaign, we have checked in with Sarah-Jane Thomas – one of our five smokers who signed up to quit cigarettes with a little support from the people around them – to see how she has got on after her first smoke-free week.

Sarah-Jane, 28, has had a mixed week since signing up to the holdmylight.co.uk challenge.

Although she managed to successfully get through her first week with the encouragement of her boyfriend and supporter Leo Feldman, 29, she hit a stumbling block a few days later on a night out with the girls and gave in to the temptation of a few cigarettes.

She said: “My guard was down and because Leo, who is acting as my supporter, wasn’t with me, I didn’t have anyone with me to keep me on track.

“I felt so guilty the next day and absolutely regretted it.”

But Sarah-Jane is determined not to let one blip prevent her from achieving her ultimate goal of going smoke-free.

She said: “I know where I went wrong, so will now put a plan in place so I don’t fall into the same situation again. I’m going to avoid any heavy social nights out in the short term, and make sure when I next have a few drinks Leo is with me, as he really is a tower of strength.

“Besides which, as well as being desperate to go smoke-free, I’m determined that Leo will stick to his end of the bargain to take me to the theatre once I’ve managed to complete the 30 days.”

He’s not the only one offering support. Sarah-Jane’s colleagues have also been spurring her on while she has been at work, and gently encouraging her to stay on track. She said: “It does really help when you have the backing of people around you. They get you through the day and really spur you on.”

Ho l d My Light is centred around enrolling friends, family or colleagues to help smokers give up cigarettes, as it’s been documented that one-to-one-support is the most popular tool for quitting.*

Sarah-Jane added: “I know they will be my backbone over the next few weeks and I have no doubt they will stop me from having another blip.”

Research has shown that if you quit smoking for four weeks, you are five times more likely to quit smoking for good.**