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A maintenance engineer who started smoking aged just 14 has managed to kick his habit of more than 50 years after a health scare - and is now using his experience to encourage others to quit.
Gary Amy (66) spoke to Express about his experience...
Reflecting on where his habit began, the boiler maintenance engineer explained: “Everybody smoked in those days. My parents smoked, everybody else smoked. I was smoking 20 to 25 a day, every day, seven days a week.
"People used to smoke in the house. The pubs were full of smoke. There was nowhere you couldn’t smoke. It’s just a habit you sort of get into. Getting out is a lot harder.”
However, a recent health crisis caused Gary to rethink his lifestyle, and make a change for the better.
“I had what they call a TIA, a mini-stroke," he said,
A TIA, or Transient ischaemic attack, is caused by a temporary disruption of oxygen to the brain
Pictured: Gary Amy gave up smoking following a mini-stroke.
Such attacks can present themselves in a similar way to strokes, with symptoms including loss of speech, numbness or weakness in the face, arms and legs. Much like a regular stroke, its long-term effects include memory loss, poor mobility and problems with speech.
It was an experience which would change Gary’s outlook on smoking forever.
“They said to me at the hospital, 'This is a warning: you need to change your lifestyle.' And that’s when I went, 'That’s it.' Cigarettes in the bin that evening. I stopped for a month, and I struggled.”
It was all the more challenging as Gary had never successfully stopped in 40 years of smoking.
"I did try to quit before, but to be honest I’d still have the odd cigarette. I never actually stopped… It was the craving of wanting a cigarette. The craving all the time.”
Things changed when Gary received help fromanti-smoking service, Help2Quit.
"If I hadn’t have gone to see them I would’ve started smoking again," he said.
Help2Quit guided him through the process, and helped to put him on the right path to quitting.
“They put me on patches and gave me chewing gum. It started off I’d wear the patch all the time, and then if I got the extra craving I’d have a bit of chewing gum. I’ve always got something to back me up. Now, I’m even starting to ween myself off the patches.”
However, they haven’t just supplied him with patches.
“It’s somebody to talk to. You need to talk to someone about the problem and they’re very helpful.”
Since quitting, Gary has already seen huge improvements in several different areas of his life.
“They’re saying that I’ve saved £1,000 in four months. At the end of a year, its something like £3,000 - £3,000 a year I’ve saved! It’s surprising. That’s like a nice holiday.”
However, it’s not just his bank balance that is looking healthier.
“I’m breathing a lot easier, I don’t cough in the morning. I feel a lot better, and proud of myself. I even eat more now and the taste of food is a lot better. My smell is a lot better. And actually, I feel a bit healthier.”
Amazingly, the very thought of smoking is starting to repel Gary.
He said: ““That’s another thing I can’t stand, is the smell of smoke now. When you’re a smoker you don’t realise how horrible it is. But when you stop and smell the smoke you think goodness me. It’s those silly things and you think to yourself, my goodness I used to do that.”
Now Gary is taking part in an online campaign, to help encourage more people to quit. He said: “The reason I’ve done it, they’ve helped me. Why shouldn’t I help them?”
For anyone looking to quit Gary said: “Try on your own to start off with. If you find that you’re not doing it, go to help2quit. If I can do it, anybody can do it. Basically, I’ve got no willpower. I’ve really pushed myself and I’m now at the stage where I am not going to smoke again.”
To access the Help2Quit stop smoking service, you can click HERE.
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