By Erica Crompton
Apart from being the only one at parties reeking of cigarettes, I was beginning to encounter some real health issues caused by what had become a 40-a-day habit.
My teeth were loose, I’d recently had a molar removed and my dentist informed me, if I continued smoking I’d have no teeth left at all at 50. My asthma was also getting worse and I regularly used my blue inhaler. It was depressing, humiliating, and at over £20 a day, it cost me more than my rent – an eye-watering £700 a month at my worst. So imagine my sense of hope on a recent trip to Scotland, when I heard a women say about my failures to get into vaping: “Ya just haven’t found the right vape!” She was responding to me saying how I envied her for vaping as the vapes made me cough and that I couldn’t seem to take to it. So after this kind Scottish lady, who was volunteering in a yellow jacket on The Enchanted Forest buses from Pitlochry village to the nearby forest, gave her tip, I decided I’d try yet another vape. Again. I returned home on the Sunday afternoon and on the next Monday morning, I ventured to my local vape shop here in Silverdale village – nicely named Planet of the Vapez – and picked a kit up. That was eight weeks ago and it feels like a modern day miracle that I’ve only had a few cigarettes since – maybe 20 a month, rather than twenty before noon every day. No more honking. No more coughing. And more of a glow about my complexion. There are a few foundation stones I had in place to make this attempt a success – regular exercise and cutting down on fizzy drinks in favour of sparkling water. Early this year in August I began a 20-minute a day yoga practise where I just do 12 sun salutations followed by some stretches. This practise has helped me get more into drinking water rather than diet cola – all helping me get in the right mindset to quit a smoking habit I began aged about 14 years old. My chain-smoking was so addictive – I even smoked through the night – 1am, ciggy. 3am, ciggy. And so forth. So, I believe if I can make the switch anyone can!
