"It has just improved everything" - Sharon Morrell's stopping smoking story

This month, the Foundation of Light are backing the Department of Health and Social Care’s ‘Stoptober’ campaign.

As part of Stoptober, we would like to share the story of one of our participants who believes quitting smoking has turned her life around.

Sharon Morrell attends the Foundation’s Ha’way and Weigh programme, and after having to stop smoking for medical reasons, she feels that it has given her the chance to make vast improvements to her physical wellbeing.

“I quit smoking on 8 October 2008 for medical reasons because I was having chest pains,” Sharon said.

“It has really improved my physical wellbeing. I’d had many tries at stopping smoking and eventually, because I’d developed chest pains, I’d decided I had to stop.

“It has just improved everything so much, mentally and physically.

“I’ve lost weight, and this programme [Ha’way and Weigh] has spurred me on to go back to another weight loss class.

“I’ve been to them before and not succeeded, or have lost but then put it back on. But this has spurred me on, I was losing weight anyway and then I decided to go to a weight loss class to help as well.

“Mentally, I feel my mood has lifted. I feel a lot healthier.

"I feel like I had quite a low mood before, no get up and go, and didn’t want to do anything. This has improved that dramatically.”

Since it first launched 12 years ago, Stoptober has helped over 2.5 million people make a quit attempt.

This year, the campaign is rallying the over 5 million smokers in England to join together to support each other and commit to quitting.

The campaign is driven by evidence that if smokers make it to 28 days smoke free, they are five times more likely to quit for good.

Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in Sunderland and results in thousands of hospital admissions per year.

As a result, the Foundation has been in partnership with Sunderland Specialist Stop Smoking Service and Sunderland City Council to support ‘Kick the Habit’ – a campaign to help local residents give up smoking – and we hope that our Stoptober awareness raising will encourage people to use their service.

Sunderland Stop Smoking Service offers free, friendly, confidential support and advice to help people who want to stop smoking. As well as providing specialist advice and support to quit, including a free app, the service can signpost to other local community services as well as giving you tips and tools to help with giving up.

Get help to quit, see Sunderland Stop Smoking Service or call 0800 169 9913.