Smoking Cessation

Mr CHOI Kwok-wai

(Champion)

Mr HUNG Wing-kin

(First runner-up)

Mr WAI San-yuen

(Second runner-up)

Years of smoking:

26 years

Why did he smoke:

Mr CHOI started smoking at 22 years old due to pressure from colleagues. As smoking behaviour was quite common in entertainment industry, he was addicted and smoked a pack of cigarette per day.

Why did he quit:

Mr CHOI realized that smokers are at higher risk to take off the mask and smoke and they may be imposed a fine. And smoking was not just harmful to health but also a huge cost of living, therefore he decided to make another quit attempt.

How did he quit:

He was misled into using heated tobacco products (HTPs) that divert his attention and dealt with the socialization with smoking colleagues and friends. He later found that HTPs was also smelly, and posed health problem like sore throat, difficult breathing and cough, etc. He stopped using HTPs immediately and adopted proper methods to quit.

After waking up or dining, Mr CHOI would immediately do something else or Tangle to divert his attention. With his strong determination, he successfully overcame insomnia and other withdrawal symptoms after three weeks.

Sharing:

After successfully quit smoking, Mr CHOI regains fresh breath, taste and smell. He is delighted with being asked for quit tips by his smoking colleagues and more networking opportunity.

Years of smoking:

10 years

Why did he smoke:

Mr HUNG lit up his first cigarette taken from his father in secondary school due to curiosity. Since then, he became an occasionally smoker with few cigarettes’ consumption. Introduced by the peers and felt stressed about post-graduation employment at 23 years old, he started to smoke e-cigarette and turned into a frequent user while smoking conventional cigarettes at the same time.

Why did he quit:

Mr HUNG’s breathing problem and coughing got worse after using e-cigarette. He felt embarrassed to cough in public area during COVID-19 pandemic as that drew others’ attention and people stayed away from him. Having seen the online promotion video and worried about his own health, he was determined to quit and join “Quit to Win” Contest with a friend.

How did he quit:

Mr HUNG diverted his attention by eating snacks and drinking water. To resist creating and temptation, he hid all e-cigarette devices and juice under his bed to make it difficult to take them out. After quitting all forms of smoking products, he eventually discarded all of the e-cigarettes and juice.

Sharing:

After successfully quit smoking, Mr HUNG has smoother breath and no longer suffer from coughing due to the irritation of e-cigarettes.

Years of smoking:

15 years

Why did he smoke:

Mr WAI started smoking at university due to peer influence. As a trading and logistics practitioner, he used to smoke with colleagues for rest and refreshment during the overnight shift. His smoking dependency was getting heavier. He used e-cigarette for a while because it was convenient and cheaper to use. However, he always had headaches, therefore he returned to use conventional cigarettes.

Why did he quit:

Mr WAI’s wife always complained about his smoking in the kitchen at home and did not allow him to have intimate contact with their 2-year-old son. For the sake of his own health and family being free from secondhand and third-hand smoke, he decided to quit smoking in 2021.

How did he quit:

Through the support from the Contest and professional smoking cessation service, Mr WAI adopted the appropriate way to quit. Being encouraged by his family, he finally stopped smoking.

Sharing:

After successfully quit smoking, Mr WAI has better family relationship and his son gets closer and plays with him. He also develops running habit and motivates colleagues to give up smoking together.