Freed from the habit, and feeling great

Marama Pairama is now a Quit Smoking counsellor. Photo / Paul Estcourt

For Marama Pairama, there's no going back to smoking now that she has learnt how much harm tobacco can do to her body.

The 33-year-old from Glorit, near the Kaipara Harbour, quit smoking in June, breaking a habit which began when she was 17 and which had reached 20 cigarettes a day.

On average, smokers try to quit 14 times before they succeed, but this was Ms Pairama's first attempt, with only one relapse.

Why did she want to quit?

"I'm at a point where I'm starting to make some decisions to regain more ownership over my life. It's a pathway to wellness and my kids are getting older," said the mother of two children, aged 9 and 10.

As a smoker, she had chronic bronchitis, chest infections and a smoker's cough.

Fulfilling a New Year resolution, Ms Pairama rang the Quitline and was sent subsidy cards for nicotine replacement therapy patches.

"I got the patches, then I heard there's a service at Te Ha o Te Oranga o Ngati Whatua, face-to-face, one-on-one support. I had the patches; all I was looking for was someone to get me through it."

She was assigned a quit coach, who showed her how to use the patches and suggested tactics like cutting back on morning cigarettes and finding activities to keep busy. The coach also recommended a library book on quitting, which Ms Pairama read.

"I was smokefree for a week, then I fell off the wagon. I went to a party and ended up smoking again. After that I decided, no more smoking. I carried on with the patches and was successful. I was on patches for about six weeks."

An extra incentive to stay off smokes arose when Te Ha offered her a job as a quit coach. Staying smokefree is part of the deal. Being smokefree and getting the job was a personal boost.

"I felt really good about myself. I was smokefree and enthusiastic and empowered to help people quit because I thought, 'If I can do it, anybody can do it'."

She has 46 clients. Nine have finished the eight-week programme, and five are smokefree.

Ms Pairama's turning point was when she attended a Te Hotu Manawa Maori course on Aukati Kaipaipa, the quitting programme which had helped her. She learned about the effects of smoking, particularly among Maori.

"We had a doctor who talked about how nicotine affects your brain."

Now as well as enjoying the health benefits and providing a good role model for their children, Ms Pairama and her partner, Kylie Challis - who quit smoking in September - are also gaining financially by putting the money they save towards buying their own house.