A holiday illness was a wake up call to quit for Jayne who works for health commissioners in Sefton and she is now encouraging others to join her on national no smoking day.

Jayne Williams, a senior member of the admin team at NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) hadn’t planned to stop smoking but took up the decision after a family holiday when she became unwell. Having developed a sore throat and a cough which led to a severe chest infection, Jayne decided to bin the cigarettes for good and has not smoked for over two months now.

Jayne said: “I have smoked since I was 16. My children have been trying to get me to stop for some time, even showing me pictures of smoker’s lungs, but I just ignored them, I really enjoyed smoking and didn’t think about the long term effects. When we got back from the holiday in the New Year, I was really unwell and was prescribed two courses of antibiotics. Once the coughing stopped and I could breathe properly again, it made me think seriously about what smoking was doing to me and how bad it was for my health. I was also worried about getting breathing problems at a later age.

“So I decided, that’s it, I’m going to go cold turkey and stop for good. I didn’t use nicotine patches or anything, which is tough going but I’m very proud of myself so far.

”It’s now been 63 days. I do miss it and still get cravings but I’ll never smoke again. I would urge others to think about stopping, even if it’s been years. I am already feeling a lot better and healthier in myself.”

Talking about the health benefits of stopping smoking, Jenny Kristiansen, respiratory lead at the CCG, said: “As I see many patients with breathing conditions I know from them that giving up smoking can be life changing. It is well known that quitting can improve your breathing, give you more energy and it can add years to your life. There is plenty of support out there in Sefton for those who are considering it.”

There are plenty of options available to those people who need some help to quit such as nicotine replacement therapy, Varenicline (Champix) and Bupropion (Zyban). You can speak with your GP or an NHS stop smoking service about the help available.

By contacting Smokefree Sefton on 0300 100 1000 you can find your nearest Stop Smoking Clinic where you can get help support and access to treatments that suit your individual needs to kick the habit for good.