A quitter’s diary: Here’s what my fourth week of quitting smoking is like

Brought to you by the HSE. Jack Kelly (20) is from Ballinasloe in Co Galway and he's been smoking since he was 16. Jack has given up cigarettes for the New Year and he'll be writing a "quitter's diary" for JOE over six weeks to describe exactly what it's like to quit smoking. 

No amazing/saucy/juicy mishaps this week, I'm afraid.

I know it's not as entertaining to listen to me 'do well' but nonetheless I managed to go the whole week without a cigarette. Michael D should be on the phone any moment now. How did your week go? Any moments of temptation? Yeah, me too. I tried heeding my own advice and messaged friends and drank coffee (litres upon litres of coffee) which does quell the cravings for a solid eight to 11 minutes... and somehow resisted. It really is the small victories you have to celebrate because I think they'll eventually morph into bigger moments until you're being interviewed on The Late Late by Ryan Tubridy about your, say it with me, journey so far. Well, that's just my humble dream. Whats yours? Graham Norton? Wow, you shoot for the stars. Embarrassingly enough, one major perk which I'm only realising now is the money factor. Either that tells you how cheap I am or the fact I usually just stole cigarettes off my friends. In all seriousness, which is difficult for me, the cash saved on not smoking is crazy. It's literally hundreds of euros a month. That in itself should make you want to snap that nicotine-filled, tobacco-tasting, smooth - I mean terrible-feeling - stick in half. Do it! Go out and buy yourself anything for €11 or cheaper. Go crazy. Get a snack box in Supermacs WITH a side of burger sauce. I mean get a salad and a water and then jog for 20 kilometres. Whatever it is that stops you from smoking. The alternative is better. The HSE Quit Team were there for me, to offer advice about quitting and tips about high risk situations like going out with my mates. The constant praise from people about quitting has faded into the background at this stage, mainly because people rarely believe you haven't smoked yet. We'll try and surprise them... in a good way, not the 'jumping out' terrifying way. Here at QUIT, we have found that getting the right help and support will double your chances of success. If you combine this with Nicotine Replacement Therapy, NRT for short, then you double your chances again - making you four times more likely to QUIT smoking. There’s loads of help at www.quit.ie, from personalised plans to inspiration to live chats. If you want to talk to an advisor about quitting or to find out about your nearest HSE stop smoking service, call the HSE QUIT Team on 1800 201 203 or FREETEXT QUIT to 50100. Start today and be someone’s Quit Hero tomorrow. Brought to you by the HSE.