Ready to quit? Here are some realistic tips from someone who’s giving up for good

Brought to you by LloydsPharmacy

Ready to quit smoking? This could be a big help...

Making the decision to quit smoking is a brave and important one, but any ex-smoker knows it's not an easy journey. When it comes to planning your own journey towards quitting, it can be helpful to get advice from someone who's been through the process before, to get a first-hand account of what worked for them and what didn't. That's why we've teamed up with LloydsPharmacy to follow along with one quitter's journey and pick up some expert tips for quitting along the way. We've been following along with 38-year-old Laura O'Connor from Dublin, as she takes on the challenge of giving up smoking for good. You can catch up on her journey so far HERE. One month on from her quit date on 21 March, we caught up with Laura to find out how her journey towards quitting cigarettes has gone. Laura's main triggers throughout the process have been controlling her cravings when stressed and people around her offering her cigarettes, particularly while drinking alcohol. "It's been a rocky road and, admittedly, I have had a couple of slip ups. There have been times when I felt stressed and have had a slip." Despite this, Laura is still actively trying to quit and says she feels healthier and more energetic for it. At the beginning of her journey, Laura met with Vivienne Brannigan, Supervising Pharmacist at LloydsPharmacy in Omni Park, which she says was a big help. "The pharmacist in [LloydsPharmacy] was fantastic. I think the best advice was if you slip, keep going, it's okay. That's where I have gone wrong in the past, I have a slip and feel so bad and think I can't do it," she says. The pharmacist also recommended some Nicotine Replacement Therapy products for Laura, which she also found useful: "The 24 hour patch was great but it gave me a bit of a rough sleep. So I have switched these to daytime only, but they really curb the cravings." When it comes to advice, Laura encourages anyone looking to quit to keep going, even if you hit a few bumps in the road along the way. "If you have a slip-up, keep going and remember why you're doing it, and the people, including yourself,  you're doing it for." And if you're looking to quit smoking, the support Laura received from LloydsPharmacy is available for you too. Every LloydsPharmacy store has a confidential care room where a trained Pharmacist can speak with customers about the options available to them, and they offer specialised advice. They can also guide you through the different Nicotine Replacement Therapy products available, including lozenges, gum, inhalers, sprays and patches. For expert advice on giving up smoking, find your nearest LloydsPharmacy HERE. Brought to you by LloydsPharmacy