Case Study - Gary Llewellyn Jones

It wasn’t the first time that 43 –year-old Gary Llewellyn Jones from Crymlyn Burrows had quit smoking, but this time he knew he wanted it to be permanent.

Stress in his everyday life had drawn him back to the cigarettes but smoking up to 30 a day wasn’t doing any good for his health. He started to quit on his own, but after ten days without a cigarette, it was proving a real struggle.

It was then that Gary turned to Stop Smoking Wales after realising he couldn’t do it on his own - and that there was no real reason why he had to.

Getting in contact with the service gave him the self-confidence and encouragement to believe that he could really give up the habit for good this time around.

The weekly meetings were a great source of encouragement for Gary as meeting people in a similar situation gave him the momentum to continue quitting. Gary said: “The meetings were a crucial part of my success. They somehow re-energised me for the rest of the week, when you are going about your everyday life, but this time without a cigarette in hand!”

Now a firm believer in the importance of sharing your experience with other like-minded people, Gary has encouraged two of his closest friends to stop smoking and enrol in the Stop Smoking Wales service.

Gary added: “The Stop Smoking Wales service is friendly and never judgemental about how many cigarettes you have smoked and for how long over the years. It is all about focussing on the best way of achieving success for each individual and being there for you when you are finding it difficult in the early stages.”

Gary used gum to help him through his early cravings and the weekly meetings gave him the encouragement and determination to succeed. Now three months later, Gary is enjoying life without the cigarettes and vows to stay that way.