Anton:  

Anton: Anton lives in an SRF. He has experienced years of ill health and poverty because of smoking. Through the support of Quit SA Tackling Tobacco Project he stopped smoking, and has been able to sustain that even in the challenging environment in which he lives. He is much healthier, and through not purchasing tobacco has been able to buy himself a television and CD player. His quality of life has improved dramatically. Anton is very grateful to the Quit SA team who have given him the skills to get off tobacco for good.

Anton:  

Anton: Anton lives in an SRF. He has experienced years of ill health and poverty because of smoking. Through the support of Quit SA Tackling Tobacco Project he stopped smoking, and has been able to sustain that even in the challenging environment in which he lives. He is much healthier, and through not purchasing tobacco has been able to buy himself a television and CD player. His quality of life has improved dramatically. Anton is very grateful to the Quit SA team who have given him the skills to get off tobacco for good.

Susan: Susan lives in a Supported Residential Facility (SRF). She has “done it tough” for many years, she has had to deal with financial hardship, low self esteem, and complex medical problems. She had suffered several heart attacks, had vascular problems and felt as though she was a “hopeless case”. Life was very sad for Susan. Through the Quit SA smoking cessation pilot program in SRFs, Susan managed to stop smoking, and has stayed smoke-free for about a year now. Susan is overjoyed with her achievement; she is delighted with her regained health. Susan walks miles now, previously she became breathless and uncomfortable just walking to the bus stop. Susan is able to buy things for herself now, small treats like books, day trips, hair cuts and new clothes are possible without the waste of money spent on tobacco. She has regained her self esteem, she looks good and feels great, and finds that life is to be enjoyed, not just a daily torment to endure.

Anton: Anton lives in an SRF. He has experienced years of ill health and poverty because of smoking. Through the support of Quit SA Tackling Tobacco Project he stopped smoking, and has been able to sustain that even in the challenging environment in which he lives. He is much healthier, and through not purchasing tobacco has been able to buy himself a television and CD player. His quality of life has improved dramatically. Anton is very grateful to the Quit SA team who have given him the skills to get off tobacco for good.

Kevin: Because of smoking, Kevin’s world had shrunk down to the four walls of his SRF room; he had become very unwell with respiratory illness, his self-esteem was at rock bottom, and he had no money to purchase even daily essentials such as toiletries. Kevin loved his religion, but because of the smell of tobacco smoke on his clothing he would not go to church or mix with other parishioners. Through  the support of the Tackling Tobacco Project, Kevin stopped smoking – “It wasn’t easy, but I did it!” He began a weekly money saving plan, and soon had enough money to purchase a bicycle. Kevin became extremely fit, and an enthusiastic cyclist, riding many kilometres per week. He began to have a weekly counter meal at the local pub – something that would have been undreamed of while he smoked. His greatest joy came through rejoining his church, loving the spiritual satisfaction and social connections that are nurtured through community. Kevin commented that quitting smoking allowed him to “rejoin the world” and was effusive in his praise of those who had assisted him.

John: Living in a SRF for many years, John has had significant physical disability from birth. His physical problems were made much worse in recent years by his heavy smoking; he had extreme respiratory distress and an emergency trip to hospital was usual about once per fortnight. In the past, John had been a member of a choir, this ended with his recent extreme problems with his breathing. Through the TTiCS Program in SRFs, John stopped smoking. Within a short span of time, his respiratory distress eased significantly, enough to the point where he rejoined the choir. Through the money saved by stopping smoking, John was able to afford concert tickets to many of the touring rock bands, which brought him enormous joy. Rock on, John!!

Sue: Sue lives in a SRF, she is a kind woman, loves animals, in particular Dudley the Dalmation dog at her SRF, and adores her birds – she has many! For years Sue has managed her mental illness, and felt that smoking helped her to do that. Sue lived in constant pain, but her surgeon denied her a corrective operation because of her heavy smoking. Through the Quit SA / SRF pilot program, Sue cut down to a very small amount of cigarettes. The doctor scheduled a series of operations, providing enormous relief and a vastly improved quality of life to Sue. Without daily pain, Sue began walking for exercise and distraction. She began taking an interest in eating healthy food. She lost a large amount of weight, helping her to feel much better about herself. With the money saved, she was able to buy things that the rest of us take for granted.  Sue doesn’t know if she will be able to kick the smokes completely, but is trying as hard as she can. Sue is extremely grateful for all who helped her to find herself again.

Robert: Robert lives in Eastern Adelaide. He has a chronic back injury, through a workplace accident many years ago. He was a heavy smoker, he thought that cigarettes helped him to manage his on-going pain. Through the smoking cessation program at Hutt St Centre, Robert stopped smoking and has been able to stay smoke-free. He is ecstatic that he is off the smokes. “It took me a few go’s, it was hard to stop, but look at me now!” Robert has joined a gym, he also walks miles and miles, and feels that this has accelerated his physical recovery from the damage caused by smoking. He has had his teeth professionally cleaned, his sparkling smile is often seen because he is so happy with his achievement of being smoke-free.  He has bought gorgeous new clothes, he is fit, always well groomed and handsome, and now looks a million dollars. He is going on a holiday with his family next year – “The trip of a lifetime!”.  Robert is able to afford this because he is not buying tobacco. Robert never misses an opportunity to warmly thank Quit SA for helping him to regain his life.

Phillip: Hello, my name is Phillip, known by many as Phil or Phil the Cabbie. (Yes, i drive a taxi for a living).  Many things have happened over the last year, too many to mention, but the most relevant was my decision to stop smoking.  It was around the middle of August last year when the thought (again) came to me that if I don't stop now it will more than likely kill me. Just as a reference I had been a smoker for thirty years. So, one Thursday I decided that this was IT! No planning, no preparation, no "when I finish this packet" bullshit. Over the years I have made a number of spur-of-the-moment decisions and this one was one of the better things I have done.

Without thinking I went straight on to the "stage one" patches, and they worked very well in controlling the nicotine addiction, but not the habit, that was up to me. After about seven weeks I started to forget about them, (the patches) I ended up wearing the same patch sometimes for three days. I thought that if this is the case I have obviously beaten the nicotine addiction and the habit, to a point. So I went cold turkey from then on and I haven't looked back. Although I have no desire or need for it any more, the thought of it (it being tobacco) is still with me, but that's all.

I have many reasons for stopping, Health, financial, not to mention for the love of a woman. (she is a non-smoker and if me giving it up will help in re-building a relationship with her then I'm all for it). So you see my reasons are very personal, and I guess you could say selfish. But if I'm being selfish in this then so be it.