In every smoker lies a quitter

Maurice Schembri would disrupt his sleep about three times a night to get up and smoke. It was regular as clockwork and the constant night-time coughing did not help. He would sit up in bed and stare at the television at the oddest hours, puffing his way to satisfying his smoking pangs.

Mr Schembri drew in his first drag at 13 - cigarettes were easy to come by; his father being in the navy meant free packets were lying about the house. And he smoked himself silly for a good 40 years... until he realised they were his ruin.

Today, he still recalls coughing away, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth; that he needed nicotine as much as he needed food. "If I didn't smoke, it was like something was missing."

For seven years before he quit in 2004, Mr Schembri, 57, was smoking 60 cigarettes a day. That is more than any of the other finalists from the 11 participating countries in the first European Smokefree Award, organised by the European Network of Quitlines and Quitline UK and held in Amsterdam last Monday.

Each finalist had an inspiring story about how they beat tobacco and, although Mr Schembri did not win the somewhat motivating €15,000 worth of holiday vouchers, "every quitter is a winner".

Mr Schembri was one of 19 Maltese applicants whose quitting story was considered to be the most inspiring, particularly because everything was against him. Unfortunately, one of the local shortlisted ex-smokers has, meanwhile, died due to a smoking-related illness, which further highlights the danger of the habit.

Mr Schembri's story is all the more inspiring because the environment he lives in is not conducive to stopping. Despite their support, his wife is a 50-a-day smoker and both her, his son and his son's girlfriend have no intention of calling it quits.

"The fact that they would constantly tell me they were proud of me was enough, though," Mr Schembri said, revealing that his next challenge is to get them to kick the habit. Meanwhile, he continues to resist what was once a temptation in a smoke-filled environment.

So far, his son's reaction - as is that of most smokers - is that he is young and fit enough to smoke and enjoys his cigarettes. To think that when he was 10 he would put his father's cigarettes under a running tap or empty them in his glass of wine!

For Mr Schembri, cold turkey was the secret to success. Once he had surpassed the first smoke-free 24-hour barrier, he realised he was capable and set himself the week target.

He immediately felt the change and four years down the line, Mr Schembri feels free from the shackles of "slavery" - as he defines smoking. He does not stink anymore and can actually taste his food. But, more importantly, he is healthier - and even richer.

"If you calculate, I used to spend some €2,330 a year on cigarettes; now, instead, I go on weekend breaks and holidays."

The Smokefree Award attracted over 1,000 entries in the participating countries and the European Smokefree Quitter of the Year was 67-year-old Milos Hlohovsky from the Czech Republic, whose blood pressure has returned to the levels of a young man and he now does push-ups outside his cottage.

Even Mr Schembri may be enjoying the benefits of a smoke-free life but he also suffers the consequences in the form of chronic bronchitis in winter and dependency on an inhaler. And he has not forgotten that it was no walk in the park: he was edgy, nervous and depressed initially.

Mr Schembri timed his quitting with the introduction of the smoking ban in Malta (October 5, 2004) - and with the help of smoking cessation classes, carried out by the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department, nicotine replacement therapy, and a dose of will power, he hit his target.

A good model, he proved correct research that shows that when all three aids are used - courses, NRT and will power - the chance to remain a quitter is stronger, said Anne Buttigieg, managing anti-tobacco at the department, and a senior occupational therapist.

But despite the importance of the smoking cessation classes, the department's latest statistics show that the number of applicants, participants and quitters reduced drastically last year over 2006: the amount of applicants dropped to 327 from 990; participants from 398 to 157 and actual quitters from 101 to 26.

Ms Buttigieg blames the drop on the fact that a Quit and Win campaign was underway in 2006 and said the drop-out rate from application to actual participation was common worldwide.

From experience she knows that most smokers do not consider quitting before the age of 35 and keep postponing. Many claim they do not want to quit yet but the reality is that they are afraid of the process and of living without their "friend".

Ms Buttigieg said it was often the relatives of smokers who called to make them stop, also due to financial constraints.

"There are cases where the cigarettes come first and then the children's education, for example," she said.

Ms Buttigieg, who was also nominated local Smokefree Supporter, pointed out that human resources were lacking when it came to anti-tobacco and that the awards were another means to raise awareness and encourage quitters.

Former Health Minister Louis Deguara was nominated locally for European Smokefree Progress but the overall winner from the participating countries was his Italian counterpart Minister Girolamo Sirchia, known also for introducing the smoking ban in indoor public places in Italy - after Malta.