For Lizzy, her journey with smoking began young. She was just 14 years old when she was introduced to cigarettes by her sister.
“I used to do her housework for three cigarettes almost every day – that was my introduction to smoking. It was a little house, didn’t take very long, and I loved those cigarettes at the time. It just grew from there.”
Her smoking was on-and-off over the years, often shifting with her health and circumstances. When she wanted to start a family, she quit – determined to give her baby the best chance at a healthy start.
“I stopped smoking so I could get pregnant – I didn’t want it to ruin the baby’s health.”
She stayed Smokefree for a while, but started again when her son turned five. She says the return to smoking was connected to her experience of bipolar disorder.
“When I get really depressed, that’s my crutch. I like to have a cigarette. I don’t drink much, but that was my comfort.”
Over time, Lizzy made several attempts to stop – usually during periods when she felt well enough. But life threw curveballs. After her marriage broke down, she fell back into depression and started again.
Eventually, a new relationship gave her the motivation to try again – and this time, it stuck.
“He’s much more important to me than smoking is – so I just gave up, like that.”
(clicks fingers)
Before fully stopping, Lizzy transitioned from cigarettes to vaping. But even that came to an end when her partner expressed how much he disliked both smoking and vaping.
“I really wanted him more than anything in the world, so I quit.”
That’s when she reached out for support. She called Quitline, who connected her with Oranga Hā, the local Stop Smoking Service on the West Coast.
“Jacqui from Oranga Hā was so good. She came to my house every two weeks for about six weeks. We had lots of cups of tea, lots of laughs, and lots of fun.”
That home-based support made all the difference.
“I don’t have a car – so her coming to me was a gamechanger. That’s important because lots of people don’t have transport.”
Lizzy’s message for others:
“Please don’t start. It ruins your health, your clothes, it makes you smell – don’t start. Please, please don’t start.”
