A smoker since age 15, David McKeown from Newtownards has credited the South Eastern Trust’s Smoking Cessation Team with helping him kick the habit.
A smoker for five plus decades, the 65-year-old has not had a cigarette since 23 June 2024.
Living with the lung condition Emphysema, David made the decision to try and give up smoking after he was hospitalised for breathing difficulties and was admitted to the Ulster Hospital.
David explained how he first started smoking in the 1970s, “As that is what kids did back then.” The habit took hold and David was smoking between, “20 to 30 cigarettes a day.”
“I kept telling myself, ‘I’ll cut down’, but I realised I was lying to myself. When I was hospitalised I was offered help and support to quit smoking and I thought I’d at least make the effort.”
David continued, “I was given patches, a nicotine inhalator and the phone number of the Smoking Cessation team. Everytime I felt like giving into the craving I told myself, ‘Don’t listen to your brain, it’s trying to trick you.’ Knowing there was someone at the Cessation Team there that I could talk to was very reassuring.”
Having been free of cigarettes for over 16 months, David shared how he discovered a passion for painting and crafts as he worked to keep his mind off smoking and spoke of how he has made up his mind, “That I will never have another cigarette again. Smoking is going to shorten your life span.”
“I have family, my two daughters live in Australia and I would like to visit them, it’s an incentive for me. I have been keeping fit by walking 10 kilometres a few days a week and doing exercises at home.
On marking his milestone of not smoking, David offered his own advice to those who may be thinking of quitting as part of the annual October ‘Stopober’ campaign. “You need to decided that giving up for good is what you want. Whatever method you use, should it be patches, the replacement gum just keep trying and work on what you want.”
South Eastern Trust Smoking Cessation Specialist Claire Black praised David’s determination to quit smoking.
“The Stop Smoking team in the Trust provide support service to both in and out patients to people who attend any of our hospitals. We offer advice and information on stopping smoking, we can also explore your smoking journey with you and go through the different types of treatments that are available to you, to help you to stop.
“Smoking affects lots of different parts of the body. It is attributed to lots of different diseases including Cancer, respiratory diseases such as Emphysema and it can affect Diabetes.
“Most of our support is done over the telephone, in the comfort of your own home, so you don’t need to worry about coming up to the hospital to see us for an appointment.
“The advice is that it is best for you, is to not start smoking for the maximum health benefits.”
