By Marjory Inglis, health reporter

A DUNDEE woman who helped launch a controversial scheme that pays smokers to give up tobacco has quit the scheme.

Eight weeks after NHS Tayside launched quit4u, which pays £12.50 a week to those who can prove they are smoke free, Suzanne Cuthbertson says she has “quit” smoking, but had to abandon the scheme and go it alone.

She said her hectic lifestyle made it impossible for her to attend the weekly classes for those signed up to the programme.

To qualify for the payments, would-be quitters have to take a breath test to prove they have remained smoke free, and attend an hour-long class every week, at which they get support to give up tobacco.

“I work as a cleaner in schools in the mornings and work in the Deep Sea restaurant after that,” said Ms Cuthbertson. “I finish one job at 9am and start the other at 11.30am.”

Her smoking cessation class was in Charleston on a Thursday morning between 10am and 11am.

After finishing work at St John’s High School she had to get to Charleston and then had just half an hour after class to get a bus in to town to the restaurant.

After just three smoking cessation sessions at Charleston, she decided she could not carry on.

“I was out from 6.30 in the morning to 7.30 at night,” she said.

“I couldn’t cope with all the running about—I really couldn’t fit this in to my life.”

She also had to stop taking the prescribed tablets due to side effects.

However, Ms Cuthbertson said she has managed to give up smoking most of the time, and is saving around £11 a day on her former 40-a-day habit, relying on willpower alone.

Her only problem was when she drank alcohol.

“I have been out the last three Saturdays in a row to celebrate birthdays and have come home with cigarettes,” she said.

Apart from these occasions, she believed she was doing well.

She said that giving up smoking has left her with more money to spend on going out and buying new clothes.

“I am noticing a big difference,” she said.

“If I had realised years ago how much it was costing, I would have given up earlier.”

Although the quit4u scheme didn’t work out for her, she recommends it to others trying to give up the habit.

Details about quit4u and other help for those wanting to give up smoking will be available today at the main concourse in Ninewells Hospital.

Staff from the Hospital Smoke Free Service and Dundee Healthy Living Initiative (DHLI) will be on hand to give advice on stopping smoking and information on what help is available both in hospital and in the community.

Smoking cessation co- ordinator Audrey Mackenzie is an ex-smoker and says that stopping smoking was the best decision she made for herself and her family.

She experienced the benefit of getting support to help her stop and finds it very rewarding helping others through their attempts to quit.

“Giving up smoking is the single most important lifestyle decision that someone can make to improve their health immediately,” she said.