Caren and Simon vow to become smoke free
March 13th, 2013
Caren Punchard and Simon Long are two of the employees from PPG Industries (UK) in Stowmarket, who have pledged to stop smoking for life on No Smoking Day, which takes place on Wednesday 13th March.
Simon, who works as a Resin Operator, first began smoking twenty years ago. He is a keen cyclist and has decided to quit his habit in a bid to improve his overall health and fitness. To support him on his way, he has signed up to attend free weekly stop smoking clinics which will be run at his workplace by our trained stop smoking advisors.
He says: “I’ve been smoking for twenty years now but I think it’s the right time to try my very best to stop. I’ve tried to quit before and I know that it’s going to be very difficult but I’m confident that the support from Live Well Suffolk will make a difference.”
He continued: “My biggest hobby is cycling so I’m hoping that by not smoking I will be able to improve my fitness and speed. I normally spend around £50 a week on cigarettes so I’ve decided that I’m going to save the money and put it towards a new set of tyres for my bike – it’s definitely going to be a big incentive!”
Simon says that his biggest worry is coping with nicotine cravings, but thanks to the team from Live Well Suffolk he will be given advice and guidance on how to cope and will also be provided with over £100 worth of free nicotine medication (prescription charges may apply) or other medication.
Supporting Simon as he tries to quit will be colleague Caren Punchard, who works at PPG as a Filling Operator. Caren first began smoking at the age of 15 and says that her biggest motivation to stop smoking is to help save some money and improve her health. Caren currently spends £40 a week on cigarettes, which would represent a saving of over £2,000 a year if she is successful.
She says: “Smoking is definitely an expensive habit and I’m going to keep myself motivated by saving all of the money that I would have spent on cigarettes, and put it towards a holiday. I’m hoping that giving up smoking will give me more energy and improve my overall health. I have tried quitting before and I’m worried that quitting could lead to weight gain so I’m hoping that the advisors from Live Well Suffolk can help me cope with this.”
A common complaint from many smokers is the unwelcome weight gain which may occurs as smokers cope with nicotine withdrawals. During the weekly stop smoking sessions, we will be providing information on how to prevent weight gain and giving advice and guidance on healthier eating habits.
The free twelve week course will offer Simon and Caren the opportunity to participate in group therapy sessions. In 2012, we helped over 4,000 people across Suffolk successfully stop smoking.
For more information about our range of stop smoking clinics across the county or to register for a one-to-one appointment, please phone 01473 229292
