Family affair in giving up

Mar 12 2008 by Audrey Barton, The Journal

HUSBAND and wife Guy and Karen Forrest made quitting cigarettes a joint effort.

The duo from Sunnyway, Blakelaw, Newcastle, decided to quit smoking for their health and that of their two children Steven, nine, and six-year-old Megan.

Karen, 30, was first to pack in her social smoking ahead of the smoking ban on July 1 last year closely followed by Guy, who smoked for 12 years and had one failed quit attempt behind him.

He was given a further nudge to pack in his 40-a-day habit when his sister Vicky, 26, of Harrey Dean, Newbiggin Hall fell pregnant and decided to stop. “I stopped about five years ago but started again smoking even more – the worst thing I ever did,” he said.

“My wife quit and my sister fell pregnant and was finding it really hard to quit so I did it to help her.

“We had a competition every week, when the stop smoking adviser came, of who had the lowest carbon monoxide levels.”

The father-of-two used nicorette patches to give up and hasn’t smoked for eight months. “I am a karate instructor so my reasons were for health as I was struggling to breathe in the senior classes,” he said.

“We never smoked in the house, always outside but I thought of the kids’ health as well.”

Vicky stopped successfully, using nicotine replacement chewing gum, and gave birth to healthy baby Alfie six weeks ago.

Now Karen and Guy’s children proudly tell their friends their parents have given up smoking.

Quitters can download a sponsor form for The Great No Smoking Day Challenge from www.nosmokingday. org.uk