Stoptober - Diary of a Quitter: Day 27

Matthew Backhouse smokes his last cigarette before starting Stoptober. Photo / Nick Reed

Journalist Matthew Backhouse chronicles his efforts to quit smoking for Stoptober in a daily diary.

As the end of the month draws near, I've been musing again on all the help and encouragement that so many of you have given me. And as I said a week into this journey, I really am grateful. You've helped to get me through it.

What I didn't realise until more recently was that I've also been helping others to get through their own quitting journeys. And that's truly humbling.

Read yesterday's entry here.

About two weeks ago, I got an email from an expat Kiwi who wanted me to know how inspiring and encouraging my Stoptober diary had been. She said she'd tried to quit before, but my diary had inspired her to take another crack. She decided to use patches, too. And it was working out for her.

I was floored. I really hadn't expected this simple diary to have much reach, let along to inspire someone else.

And then, to my surprise, even one of my most cynical colleagues got behind Stoptober. He went from rubbing it in my face every time he had a cigarette, to joining in. He even wrote about it here.

I don't know how many others I've helped. Maybe it's none. But to be able to help just one other person really is a great feeling. And it's helped me to keep going.

You can help, too. If you're taking part in Stoptober, you can encourage others. There's no need to be preachy - you can live by example, because doing it is hard enough. And if you're not taking part, you can still lend your support.

Trust me, it will be appreciated.

To take part in Stoptober, visit www.stoptober.nz

For help quitting, visit Quitline at www.quit.org.nz or phone 0800 778 778