“Stop smoking before it stops you” – couple quit together thanks to Oxfordshire stop smoking services
“Don’t start smoking, you spend your life trying to quit” is what Mary Gosling had to say about her journey to a smokefree life.
After smoking for thirty years on and off, it was a health scare that motivated Witney-based husband and wife Andrew and Mary to finally quit for good.
Thanks to Oxfordshire County Council’s Stop for Life service, they have successfully ditched the habit and are now encouraging other smokers to contact the service to and follow suit.
Andrew, 61, ditched his 20 a day habit for good a few months ago after taking up cigarettes aged 20.
“Although I’d tried to quit a few times, I first started smoking when I was young and had been smoking for about 30 years.
“When I started, it was just the done thing, you’d go to the pub and smoke, so I jumped on the bandwagon.”
Mary, 60, had managed to quit when she became pregnant, having taken up the habit at 18, but had since reverted to smoking 10 cigarettes a day once more.
“I first started when I was a teenager as a bit of an act of rebellion but quit successfully when I fell pregnant.
“I took up smoking though when a close friend of mine moved away, I found the smell of cigarettes brought me comfort and reminded me of them.”
The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on the impact smoking was having on Andrew’s health, and provided them with the catalyst to quit.
Andrew explained: “I have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well, so when I developed COVID, I got it quite badly and ended up in hospital in a coma. I know smoking was definitely a contributing factor to this.”
“A tobacco dependency advisor from the Here for Health team visited me while I was in hospital, who recommended that I quit smoking. She offered me an inhalator, and nicotine replacement therapy for while I was in hospital.”
Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s Here for Health team offers a free health and wellbeing support service for patients, staff and visitors, including smoking cessation and works closely with the Stop for Life service.
When Andrew was discharged, the couple made the decision to contact Stop for Life to quit together.
On her decision to join Andrew, Mary said: “I wanted to quit with Andrew for moral support. The last thing I wanted was to be smoking around him, making things harder for him.”
They were put in touch with Karen Boardman from the Stop for Life team, who provided them with support and aids to help them quit together, using nicotine pouches and sprays to help.
“The service was amazing. We were never once made to feel bad if something didn’t go to plan, it was totally positive.
“Karen helped us and felt like a friend. She was always there for us when we needed to talk to her – going that extra mile really made a difference.”
Now off the cigarettes for a number of months, Andrew and Mary are already noticing a real impact on their lives.
While Andrew still has his underlying health issues, he’s found he is breathing better – Mary has noticed he breathes better in his sleep too. He’s also financially better off and has noticed an improved sense of smell and taste.
“My sense of smell and taste has changed too,” said Mary in agreement. “I used to drink a lot of tea and coffee, and now I can’t stand the stuff!”
Oxfordshire County Council’s stop smoking service, Stop for Life Oxon, has already helped thousands of people across Oxfordshire quit smoking using tools like vapes and other nicotine replacement therapies.
Free support is available to all smokers in Oxfordshire and can include one to one coaching, a free rechargeable vape kit and or nicotine replacement therapy for up to 12 weeks.
Andrew added: “Of course, you still need willpower to want to quit, but when you do, get in touch with Stop for Life, they’re brilliant. It’s all free, they’ll provide you with what you need.”
Councillor Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said: “It’s lovely to hear from people who have successfully quit smoking. I’m so pleased for Andrew and Mary, and hope that their story inspires others to contact Stop for Life.
“We’ve added more capacity to Oxfordshire’s stop smoking services and more than 1,000 people quit with their support in the last year. It’s never too late to stop smoking, and it really is possible to start to undo the effects of smoking, no matter your age.
"That said, we know how daunting it can be for people to give up smoking. Our Stop for Life Oxon service provides free support, which is proven to help anybody who wants to quit smoking in Oxfordshire. If you're interested, please do consider giving the service a try.”
Emma Hagues, Here for Health Service Development Manager at Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is brilliant news, and a huge well done to Andrew and Mary.
“We’re really pleased to hear that the support from our team was helpful – we are on-hand to help anyone in our hospitals whether that’s patients, visitors, or staff. You are three times more likely to stop smoking with expert advice – we are here to help you take that first step and support you along the way.
“This story highlights the importance of an in-hospital tobacco dependency service to increase the number of patients engaging in treatment for smoking – and successfully quitting.”
Ian Hiscock, Service Manager at Stop for Life Oxon, said: “What Mary and Andrew have achieved is life changing, and we want to support as many people as possible to take up the offer of free expert support to change their and their loved ones lives for the better.”
Residents can find out more about the support on offer to help quit smoking for good by visiting the Stop for Life Oxon website, or phoning 0800 122 3790.
More information about the Here for Health smoking cessation service is on Oxford University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s website.
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