Stroke scare pushes patient to quit smoking
A life-threatening stroke shook John Cole into taking serious steps to improve his health – most notably he stopped smoking.
“The stroke scared me and I found it easier to give-up smoking, it was a deterrent for me, a motivator to quit, and I did it straight away,” said John.
Friday 31 May marks World No Tobacco Day, and John marks five months without a cigarette.
Our smoking cessation team is continuing to change the lives of patients and staff. The Smokefree Clinic provides specialist support along-side stop smoking medicines to help people quit. This service is led by clinical pharmacists trained in the speciality of smoking cessation.
“The support has been wonderful - I couldn’t ask for anything better. I had a phone number to use when I was having problems. Don’t do it on your own,” said John.
Neurosciences coordinator at The Allred, Linda Buchholz, is now more than two months smoke-free.
“I had a birthday recently and I thought I really need to get fit, I can’t breathe,” said Linda.
She says staff at the Smokefree Clinic have helped keep her on track.
“It’s good to talk to somebody who understands, who doesn’t ostracize you. They are supportive, they listen and help me on the hard days.”
Linda is focused on stress management and says improvements in her health are motivating her to continue on the smoke-free path.
“It’s huge, I used to get 5 minutes into a walk and want to go home, but now it’s fantastic. My immune system is also stronger.”
For more information please visit the Smokefree Clinic.
What community-based support is available? Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or other health professional.
Quitline 137848 is free and confidential, available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday from anywhere in Australia.
