Rachel Buckmaster, 32, quit smoking and later vaping with the help of Nicorette gum, and she says the change brought more energy, fresher breath, and extra money each month.
A hill in Malta sparked the realisation
During a holiday on the island of Malta, Rachel faced a hill so high she initially did not think she could climb it. She recalled thinking, “I’m not doing that,” but her partner wanted to try, so they did. Afterwards, she realised it was not as bad as she had expected.
That moment reminded her how far she had come since quitting smoking. Rachel had smoked for around five years before giving up. She noticed positive changes, including more energy, no smoky breath, and more money left over each month.
From cold turkey to vaping and back
Her nicotine journey did not end there. After nearly three years smoke-free, Rachel was drawn to vaping. When she first tried to quit by going “cold turkey,” she experienced intense irritability. “But I got rage, like I was about to come on my period,” she explained. “It took me a few days to join the dots, but when I realised it was because I wasn’t smoking, I started again.”
A few months later, she tried again after a friend quit successfully using Nicorette gum. Rachel used the gum too, and found it helpful to see evidence of its effectiveness. She noted that giving up was tough for a month or two, but then she felt more energetic, walked further, and enjoyed not having smoky breath. She also spent less on mouthwash and body spray.
The vaping relapse and a second quit
For nearly three years, Rachel stayed away from cigarettes. Then, a couple of years ago, she sat next to a friend who was vaping a cherry candy floss flavour. “I thought, ‘That smells really nice’,” she said. The friend offered her a try, and Rachel told herself it was only one. She kept using the vape through the night and the next morning, then bought her own, annoyed at herself.
She soon wanted to stop. “Then came the mic-drop moment,” she said. “I was with the friend who’d given up smoking, and I wanted to take the lift rather than the stairs. Then it clicked. So I went straight to Nicorette gum.”
Quitting again was hard, with grumpiness and a short temper. Rachel warned people about her mood, and they kept some distance. She felt the Nicorette gum took the edge off cravings and withdrawal symptoms, making the process more bearable, though willpower was still required. After a couple of months, she noticed more money in her bank account, giving her “more wiggle room” now.
