"I quit smoking after four decades of addiction – if I can do it anyone can"

Jason Kearle’s first experience of smoking came at the age of 13 when he started taking a single cigarette out of his mother’s pack each day before school. “I remember it well. I didn’t like it in the beginning, but then you get into the habit of needing one - and that was from a really early age,” he recalled.

“I’d bunk off school with my mates and the best place to find cigarettes was bus stops because people would ‘out’ them when their bus came along. We’d rake them up and put them in a Rizla.”

Despite being a gifted boxer and rugby player, Jason would continue to smoke without any concern for the harm it was causing his body. “When I was playing rugby, everyone would have an orange at half time and I’d have a cigarette,” he joked.

As Jason got older, smoking became a bigger part of his life. At his worst he was smoking 20 a day and began losing sensation in the tips of his fingers. The real turning point, however, came when he started suffering with a bad shoulder.

The 54-year-old from Adamsdown, Cardiff, explained: “My mother had lung cancer. She was absolutely fine until she had a pain in her shoulder blades. By the time she got tested she was dead within five weeks at the age of 56.

“So when I had my own bad shoulder I thought I had the same as my mother. I was convinced. I’m only a couple of years away from the age she died. I started having a couple of panic attacks – that was when I knew I had to go to the doctors.”

After registering with his local GP in March 2023 and filling in the necessary forms, Jason spotted an option to quit smoking. Without hesitation, he ticked the box, and within a week he was contacted by Help Me Quit adviser Cathy Fisher for an appointment.

As part of the weekly clinics at the doctor’s surgery, Jason was also given a variety of free stop-smoking treatments including patches and a spray, which if bought privately would have cost £250.

“I didn’t think I could stop completely, I thought I’d need to cut down slowly. But Cathy gave such great encouragement and advice. I couldn’t have done it without her.” he added. “She gave me a carbon monoxide blower and my first reading was incredibly high – that was a wake-up call for sure.

“I looked forward to my appointment each week to blow into the device and prove to her that I hadn’t smoked. It was tough giving up, but I didn’t want to smoke anymore. I used to hide my cigarettes from people because I felt embarrassed. There are less and less people smoking these days.”

Watch Jason's story here:

Jason, a former painter and decorator and mechanic, has now gone without a cigarette for more than seven months and has the feeling back in the tips of his fingers again. He said his sense of taste and smell has returned to such an extent that he’s taken up cooking.

Moreover, Jason now has more spare cash to spend on his five adorable Japanese Akita dogs Tokyo, Suzuki, Yoko, Hoshi and Tanabi. “I walk seven miles a day with them and I’m not tired by the end. It would be a struggle before. My dogs are everything to me,” he said.

“If I can quit anyone can, because I was the worst in the family. I’m now encouraging them to cut down too.”

Cathy Fisher is one of four Help Me Quit advisors in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan who provide cessation services in community settings either in groups or one-to-one. For those who may have mobility problems, are unwell or are working, phone appointments are also available.

“People receive 12 weeks of products free of charge, but alongside that they will get seven weeks of support,” she explained. “The person will either come in or receive a phone call every week for those seven weeks, and for another five weeks we are still at the end of the phone if they need a bit of extra help.”

Commenting on Jason’s remarkable progress, Cathy added: “Jason is hugely inspirational. He came in the first week and explained about his panic attacks and shoulder pain which were both a game-changer for him. He was very determined, and to see a change in him within a week was absolutely fantastic. He stuck to every one of his appointments, he was happy to be there and he took on all the advice.

“Although we’re there as advisers to help encourage people to stop smoking, Jason had to make the decision not to pick up a cigarette every day. As long as people work on their triggers and their psychological links to smoking, as well as use the products we give them, then they can do it.”

For a full list of stop smoking services locally, and to find out if you need to pre-book an appointment, please contact the Help Me Quit contact centre team by:

• Calling freephone 0800 085 2219

• Texting HMQ to 80818 (text cost is one standard rate message)

• Going to the Help Me Quit website here and requesting a call back

Smokers can also be referred to Help Me Quit by their GP or practice nurse, or if they find themselves in hospital they can access services and products on-site before being transferred back to the community. Some pharmacies in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan also offer Help Me Quit advice and products.