Hyde resident celebrates life-changing success after quitting smoking

A Hyde resident is celebrating a massive personal achievement after successfully quitting smoking with support from Be Well Tameside.

On the Tameside Council-backed No Smoking Day on Wednesday 11 March, Keith Pearce, 55, hopes his story will inspire others who are thinking about giving up.

Keith had smoked around 20 cigarettes a day for roughly 25 years. Although he had been thinking about stopping, he felt he needed some extra motivation to make the first move. After hearing about Be Well, he decided to get in touch and start his journey to kick the habit.

He said: “I already had in mind to stop but I felt I needed some kind of kick start to make the leap. The support I had from Be Well was exactly what I needed. They took me through it step by step, starting from inhalators. At that point, using those, I thought well actually this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

Be Well Tameside worked closely with Keith to find the nicotine replacement options that suited him best. Although he was given nicotine patches, he preferred the inhalator at first as it helped replace the hand to mouth action he was used to.

An inhalator is a plastic tube with a nicotine cartridge that someone can puff on to mimic the habit of smoking to help ease their cravings.

After a while, Keith was given a vape which he’s gradually reducing his use of, as part of his personalised plan. Regulated vaping is much safer alternative to smoking and when combined with behavioural support this has shown to be twice as effective for quitting smoking. Using the vape has transformed Keith’s experience.

Be Well will also help an individual quit vaping by gradually lowering the strength of their vape to help people become nicotine-free and quit entirely. 

He explained: “The vape changed everything. I felt like I was fully in control of my intake. Although at first giving up does give you a cough, you have the real understanding that your chest is clearing out all the toxins.”

Keith quickly noticed the financial benefits of quitting. Having smoked for many years, he was shocked by how much he had been spending.

He added: “I didn’t realise how big the savings are. It was around 108.50 per week. So I can treat myself to something or pay a bill instead of killing myself with nicotine.”

Three months on, Keith says he can now be around other smokers without feeling the urge to have one and feels more in control than ever.

“I’ve now got to the stage where I can cope with other smokers without having the craving to have one. I am just happy with my vape,” he said.

Be Well Tameside provides free and confidential advice to help residents quit smoking, offering personalised plans, ongoing support and access to nicotine replacement options.

For anyone planning to stop smoking or wanting to improve their health, support is available.

For free and confidential help to quit smoking, contact Be Well Tameside at www.tameside.gov.uk/bewelltameside or call 0161 342 5050.