“It works, it really does work”: Pregnant Grimsby woman praises Swap & Stop Team who helped her quit smoking

A mother to be from Grimsby has endorsed the Swap to Stop Tobacco Dependency Treatment Team, who helped her quit smoking after many years.

Sam Lee, who runs a pub in Grimsby, said: “My brother and my mum were smokers, but I never took on to the trend until after school, so I started quite late, about 19, but when I did start, I started properly.”

She added: “Working and running a pub comes with a lot of stress so I’m out at the first given moment and because I’m the boss as well, I can just go whenever I want”

“Also, if I run out, they’re on tap. My customers will give me them so that’s a really big struggle for me.”

Sam has tried to stop smoking before, but finding out she was pregnant gave her the motivation she needed. “It’s always been in the back of my head that I’ve wanted to stop smoking and I’ve spoken to my partner about it a few times, but falling pregnant definitely made me think ‘right, that’s it, I need to stop smoking’.

The Swap and Stop tobacco dependency treatment team are hospital based and offer free support and medication to help people quit smoking. This includes nicotine replacement therapy and a highly trained advisor to guide them through the process.

“My advisor is really good, she doesn’t seem like an adviser, she seems like a friend so it’s not scary in anyway what so ever. You go and you think ‘oh God what’s going to happen’ but she’s just amazing,” said Sam.

However, it hasn’t always been plain sailing. Sam added: “I relapsed on a Friday night on one of the pub’s busiest nights of the week and I then smoked for the rest of the weekend.

“I had a little bit of a cry and I said to my advisor ‘I’m so sorry’.  She just told me it’s fine and that we have these relapses.” Now, Sam is back working through various methods to help her quit once and for all.

“I just feel like this is a step to fully stopping forever. When we have the baby, the baby’s not

going to grow up in a smoking household, with a parent having to nip out and have a cigarette

here and there.”

She added: “Swap & Stop is a service that’s there and you’d be silly not to take it. The support you get is just amazing, just try it.

“Until you do, you don’t believe it. I’ve always thought these patches won’t work; this won’t work, but it does, it does work.”

For more information about the Swap & Stop campaign visit North East Lincolnshire Council’ stop smoking page here.

Free help is available for everyone to stop smoking in North East Lincolnshire, just visit https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/health-wellbeing-and-social-care/health-and-wellbeing/smoking/ to get started today.

For more information on Swap and Stop tobacco dependency treatment services for parents to be, visit here: https://www.swapandstop.co.uk/info-for-parents-to-be/