You know, basically when you sort of get. You know, when kids start smoking they don’t really know. But when you’re like a hardened smoker or, you know, all these things, you know that they’re bad for you, you know that they’re going to clog your arteries, they know that they give lung cancer, and you know you can die. And I mean that woman on Coronation Street who has to have that tank, I forgot her, Vera.

Yes, that’s the one.

You know all this. But you still like to smoke. I know you don’t like to smoke, like, and most people agree with me, you’ve got a packet of 20 and you’ve smoke all them, theres not all of them 20 that you enjoy all day. But there is four or five that you do. And so all the campaigning in the world, and all the stopping smoking, and all the don’t do this’, and you’re not doing it here. You’re still going to smoke, because you enjoy it. And most people it’s when they’ve had enough their selves like me. I mean lots of people that you know, doctors or surgeons will say if you don’t stop smoking, you don’t live to when people stop then, but mainly you smoke because you want to and you like it, and it doesn’t matter what you say [laughs] or what you do, or how much money you put on them fags, that’s going to stop you from smoking.

Years ago when I went to a smoking cessation thing and it was a group thing, it was for six or eight weeks and that was it. And what’s all that about you know? You’re still needing help after that six, eight weeks and like but with [name of smoking cessation woman] its, even if you’ve failed you’re still going to see her, and she doesn’t condemn you, she doesn’t say, Oh well, eight weeks is up now. You either stop or you don’t. Because that’s what you felt like with that before. Shes still there, yes, and I never want to stop seeing her [laughs]. I don’t. But, so people who are struggling, are still getting that bit of, you know, like I say if it was six to eight weeks. I remember me and my friend went to one and it were down at some fitness club and it were for eight weeks.

How long ago was that?

About four years ago, four or five years ago.

And did you just sort of see it and drop in or?

I think it were through doctor, because they have groups at doctors don’t they but if you can’t make them, then they will choose another one which were nearer or you know, night time or things, and we went there. And we were great with group and then it finished. Eight weeks. That’s not a lot is it? It’s not a lot time, because if you’re going to go on them Champix, Champix, it takes you, you’ve got to get form and go to your doctors, so that’s a week, a week and a half and then you’re two weeks on your things, that’s another, and then so you’re just starting and it’s done, bye, you’re on your own now.

So was it just the amount of time? Or was it anything else about that group that wasn’t so good?

I think the amount of time yes, and [exhales] I did like the group thing at first, but then so say, it’s only half an hour, who the you’ve got so many things to say, and the other people, so it’s like getting, I like this one-to-one, I like [name of smoking cessation woman]. I like the one-to-one. And work gives us fifteen minutes, and theres not a lot of places that, you know, would do that, and they give us fifteen minutes, and sometimes that’s not enough time for your one person, you know, so if you’re in a group and everybody’s wanting fifteen minutes or more there just isn’t enough time so you get, you know, pushed to one, one side.

It’s great. Apart from weight. It’s great to think I don’t smell. And I can smell my own perfume which you can’t before [laugh] and my hair doesn’t smell anymore and my clothes and that’s nice. I like that.

What other changes have you noticed after you’d given up smoking?

You’re probably not going to like this, but I felt terrible for about six weeks. Terrible. I haven’t coughed, no. People said that you cough stuff. The cough things. Well I haven’t done anything like that. I’ve never really been, had a cough when I smoked and I haven’t done anything like that but I’ve felt terrible, as though I could sleep for ever, I couldn’t do this, I just, just generally don’t feel very well. But I’m just coming out of that now where I feel a bit better.

I don’t know people have said that its, all toxins, all the badness coming of you and things like that, but I haven’t felt very well. It’s not you’ve stopped smoking you feel great. Because you don’t. I’m only just starting and that’s like four months. Three months, four months, I can’t remember. Starting to feel all right.

And you were saying some time ago when you were thinking about having a knee operation.

Hm.

That they don’t operate on people who are smokers. Did you say that or ..? Or is that just what you heard or ?

No, they don’t. I think I must have, when the surgeon said to me, You know, you have to try and stop. But I don’t think he said that he wouldn’t. I think he said, you know, it’s better for you to try and stop.

And what did you think about that?

Well to be honest what I thought were blooming heck they put everything on smoking, every condition is like eh smoking, smoking, they’re just making it as an excuse. That’s what I thought. And I would imagine that’s what a lot of people think is that. Oh God. Every time it comes down to smoking and I don’t whether it don’t, I don’t know whether people just say it.

Yes. I guess you got quite a bit of sort of health advice off him, can you remember getting any other sort of health advice and how you felt about it as a smoker?

No, not really. I know at one doctor’s. I’m not quite sure where it were, because I’ve had to move doctors since I’ve moved. It weren’t at this one, but they were doing a survey and I’m sure they weren’t going to accept as many people who smoked. Because they are running the risk of the yes Whether they were just doing this survey, and that’s what they were saying, whether they brought it in, I don’t know. But I suppose it’s like giving somebody a new, an alcoholic, a new liver and I’m still drinking. Its, you’ve got to take a bit of responsibility for yourself haven’t you.

And how did you feel about that as a smoker?

No. To me, it was just like ooh it’s another thing to do with smoking.

Did you even feel a bit resentful of it or?

No. Because [laughs]. No, because that’s it. It’s just like no matter what you do, it’s because you smoke. It’s not necessarily always that that is it?

But I don’t think I’ve ever been ill with the smoking and that, so it were just a choice, more than anything, because my teeth were getting terrible, my fingers were getting brown and I lived, before I lived here, I lived with my brother for a while, because of some upset that I’d had. So I lived with my brother and his girlfriend and they don’t smoke. So I went outside for a fag, but the house, you know, they didn’t have to have spray things, because it just smelt nice. And when I came back in from having a fag, because nothing smelled apart, you know, the cooking things and that, I could smell my own, which you can’t really smell yourself, and I could smell it because like covered, I brought, and they, they never said anything. But I could smell it myself and it was horrible. So that did me a world of good, just living with them for a bit. I don’t if that makes any difference to anybody but [laughs].

You’re right, it’s how you

Yes, and it’s like they don’t smell. And it’s like… So I’d have a dressing gown, so that I’d get up in morning and my dressing gown smelt, you know, and theirs didn’t, and it was like oh I want to be like them [laughs]. So, but theres all kind of different things.

What were the other sort of things?

I don’t know. I mean money. Like I say. Well it were becoming an issue because I’d got to cut my belt whatever you say

Cut right back?

Because I knew I’d got this place. But… and it weren’t so much a health thing. It were just a, I don’t want to do it anymore. Do you know, I just don’t want to do it anymore. I don’t want to, because you get, it’s like you were if I walked out of house and I didn’t have my cigarettes it would be a panic thing, oh I haven’t got any cigarettes and you’ve got to go to a shop and you’ve got to get this and it a panic and you’re dependent on that. And your life, your day cannot go without you’ve got your cigs and lighter. And you go into a panic. I didn’t want to do that anymore [laughs].

Yes. Yes. I just didn’t want to. I mean my daughter she doesn’t smoke and I just didn’t want it, I didn’t want to smell and… that’s it [laughs]. That’s really basically it, it weren’t so much a, it should have been a health thing, but, and when you’re smoking that many theres only a few of the cigarettes that you enjoy. The rest you just smoke and you just think oh God. There is only a few that you actually enjoy.

Well you could smoke anywhere really. Anywhere. And then they just changed it to upstairs on buses didn’t they? So they were. it’s made like a social life not very good for good for most people and it really, you know, for smokers and non smokers, because you can go out in a crowd, what I understand, you can go out in a crowd, and if everybody smokes then you’re left in pub on your own. You know. So it’s not nice for both smokers and non smokers. I don’t think it’s done

And are you finding that now?

Yes, yes.

So a lot of your friends still smoke outside?

Hm. And you’re sort of just stood like, so you’ll drink more than them [laugh]. So then I’m going to have another problem. But I remember when I still smoked and my daughter like, shes never smoked, but she said one of the things that she noticed where you can smell, instead of stale cigs, fags masking everything, and you go into a pub you can smell the stale beer and things, and she said she didn’t know which is nice you know, which is worse. So I don’t, I’ve never noticed that, you know, because one just stops smoking, so [Laughs].

But yes, you can, you can’t really smoke anywhere. At our work, we used to have what we called a bus shelter what you smoked in, but they’ve had to take some windows out, because you can only have so many. So you were there smoking, freezing and the winds coming in from where you would have been protected before and it was like I don’t know. You can’t smoke anywhere, whereas before you could smoke everywhere. They’ve gone from one extreme to other and it’s not really stopping anybody from smoking is it? [Laughs].

And how did you feel about all those changes when you were a smoker?

Well I didn’t like them, but to be honest, because doctors and everybody blames everything on smoking, it’s just another thing that you have, you just get on with it, because it’s all to do with smoking. So, they’re going to blame smoking for everything so just get on with it and continue smoking.

So it’s more like a sort of inconvenience?

Yes, yes, it’s just like another thing that they’re trying to do to stop you from smoking.