Having smoked myself since my mid-teens (I'm 53), and numerous attempts with various methods (to no avail) of quitting, I made the decision that this year is the year I stop. I did a bit of research, had a look at various costings of stop smoking stuff and made a decision. As of today, I'm on step 2 of 'patching' and am 51 days cigarette free.

I downloaded the NHS quit smoking app (free), and settled on NiquitIn clear patches. Cost wise, it works out at £14.50 for a weeks supply of patches, though if you shop around, you can get a 2 week box for £25, and that's the same for all stages. It's a 10 week program utilising 3 different strength patches. I did an extra week on the 1st stage patch as I didn't feel quite ready to drop down to a lower nicotine level. To cope with breaking the habit of a cigarette at certain times, I had a supply of boiled sweets to hand (£1 a bag from B&Ms), or did something around the house. I started off with 5 bags of sweets a week, now down to about one and a half.


I didn't even consider vaping, as whilst there's a few less toxins than cigarettes, still as addictive due to the nicotine, the habit of having a drag is still there, and its still early to say what the medium and long term health implications are.


whatever you choose to do, good luck and stick at it, your body and your wallet will thank you for it.