Eliza quit for her son

Eliza’s willpower, determination and good support from friends and family helped her quit smoking.

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My name’s Eliza, and family and future are my story. Yeah, I’ve got one son, Ansolom John, he’s four years old.

I started smoking at a very young age. Over the years it’s done a lot to me, you know, my health, it brings on asthma a lot more, you get that throat, I don’t even know, like a chest infection, you’re still smoking, your chest gets real tired, you can’t breathe properly.

AJ’s the main reason why I quit smoking, and it’s because I know that I want to be here for a long time with him on his journey in life.

My grandmother, she died 10 years ago, that was a really hard thing for me to sort of see her go through emphysema, sitting on that machine, that oxygen machine to make sure that she could breathe most of the time.

The first time I quit it was really hard. Quitting this time seems a lot easier now than it what it was, because of the information that I know now. Looking online, seeing things on TV, speaking to people, putting it all together and realising the bigger picture of it all.

The best thing about quitting is the energy you get back, the money you save, oh my goodness, the amount of money I’ve saved has been ridiculous. And you know, saving extra money’s good, because I know that I’ll have more money this year for Christmas. The health that I’m regaining that I’ve lost for so many years is coming back.

My advice to people who wanted to quit smoking, with willpower, determination and good support from friends and family you’ll be able to get through it, and then once you get to a certain point, you’ll know what I mean when I say it does get easier, like you just have to stick it out.

It took me over a decade to realise the effects that it had on me, and if you’re about to spark up your first cigarette for the first time, just chuck it away.

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