Renfrewshire's Provost has lifted the lid on kicking her smoking habit in a bid to spur on those struggling to give up.
Lorraine Cameron has revealed since she first picked up a cigarette at the tender age of 14, she found herself in a cycle of "half-heartedly" trying to quit and failing for 36 years.
She said managed to ditch fags four times when she was pregnant, but every time she would always go back to them afterwards.
But it seems the mental battle never killed her determination to stop and she can now proudly say she has not touched a cigarette in nine years.
And the SNP Paisley Southwest councillor now hopes her story will serve as inspiration to those who are facing the same challenge.
“I started smoking when I was 14," said Provost Cameron.
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"My friends and I tried it and it made us feel cool.
“As an adult, I tried several times to quit. I knew it wasn’t good for me or my bank account.
“I did manage to quit temporarily when I was pregnant. That’s four times I gave it up. But when each of my babies was only a few weeks old, I reached for the cigarettes once more.
"I thought after giving up for months at a time, it would be easy to stop for good but it never was."
The veteran elected member - who decided to open up on the back of No Smoking Day this week - said she tried the classic method of nicotine patches, but it never worked.
She knew something had to fundamentally change with her mentality about smoking before she could truly boot the habit into touch.
And it was on a night out with friends the light finally came on for her.
She added: “I think the penny only dropped when I started to feel embarrassed about smoking. I’ll never forget how it happened.
“I was on a night out and we all went back to my friend’s house and sat in her conservatory smoking and gossiping.
“When I woke up at home the next morning the smell of smoke on my clothes was really strong. I was thinking about my friend, who isn’t a smoker, and I was worried all our smoking had left a horrible smell in her lovely house.
“After putting the smelly clothes in the washing basket, I made a coffee and lit myself a cigarette to try and feel better. But I took one drag and felt sick. I stubbed it out and that was the last cigarette I ever had.
“Something inside me clicked that day. I realised I didn’t want to be the person that nobody liked sitting next to or invited to their home because I smelled of smoke.
"I think the indoor smoking ban helped too because it meant the smell was more noticeable than ever before."
The disgust Provost Cameron felt that morning was so powerful she managed to go cold turkey.
It wasn't easy. It meant making sacrifices such as missing social events and she admits she ended up putting on weight, with her focus now on keeping up a healthy diet.
But she is thankful she saw it through and is now encouraging others to give themselves the time and space they need to put an end to their smoking.
“It was tough but I knew I had to avoid anything that might trigger me to start smoking again," said Provost Cameron.
“I’ve been smoke-free for nine years now with no slip-ups. It was very challenging and I didn’t start to feel a real sense of achievement for a few months after my last cigarette.
“There is a big improvement in my quality of life, not only physically and financially, but socially as well.
“Nice meals were constantly interrupted with cigarette breaks and I ended up missing lots of the fun.
“One unfortunate side effect of me going cold turkey was I ended up putting on weight. I suppose I filled the gap smoking left with eating more. But I’m focussing my efforts on healthy eating now and I know if I can beat smoking, I can do that too.
“My advice to anyone who is trying to quit would be to not overthink it. Just go for it.
"You might feel grumpy, but that’s ok. Distract yourself with something like your favourite movie, get help for any withdrawal symptoms and get your loved ones on board.
"Find a way of quitting that works for you and be kind to yourself."
The Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) can offer support to anyone who wants to quit smoking. Search 'Quit Your Way Scotland' on the Renfrewshire HSCP website for full details on their Stop Smoking Service.
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