Anna, 47

Breathing for two

Then

Anna smoked for thirty years. She tried patches, gum and a course. Every attempt failed after a few weeks. Her lungs bothered her and she coughed for a long time in the mornings. She thought she just wasn't strong enough.

The turning point

Her mother got lung cancer. Anna sat by her bed and heard how hard breathing could be. She quit on the day of the funeral, with help from her doctor and a quitline she could call every day.

Now

Anna hasn't smoked for three years. Her morning cough is gone and she bikes to work again. She says: at first I did it for my mother. Now I do it for myself. Every breath feels like a gift.

“Getting help to quit smoking greatly improves your chances. You don't have to rely on willpower alone.”

The people in these stories are fictional. Their experiences are based on what many people in recovery go through.

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