“My names Ross and I'm 27 years old and have been smoking for nigh on 10 years now. I've never been a heavy smoker, always smoked between 8 and 12 a day, but I've done the whole 20 fags a night when I've been out on the drink at times. I actually don’t drink that much as it is anyways. I blame myself for starting in the first place. I have a twin brother who smokes and I think back then I maybe copied him into doing it and then I got hooked. BIG MISTAKE.

“Started smoking at 10 or 11. Never thought seriously about giving up.

Not even when my girlfriend (now my wife) started in her early 20s, no doubt partly influenced by me. Why did I stop then? My darling sons.

As a father, I can answer every question they ask me in some way, morally, logically or intellectually (sometimes all three!) The one question that did floor me was "Why do you smoke Daddy?" Smokers know there isn't a good reason but how do you explain it to a 7 year old?

“In May I put up my story of how I stopped smoking after a major, life-threatening illness. Unbeknown to me, a lady called Annie who lives in Alberta, Canada read it when she was browsing around, looking for inspiration to quit.

At the beginning of August Annie saw my profile on a pen pal website and wrote to me. In the short time since we have become the greatest of friends, sharing, apart from many other things, a great love of dogs.

“I stopped smoking 20-30 cigarettes a day about 15 years ago. These are the things that helped me do it:

* I decided on what date I was going to stop 6 months in advance - safely in the distance
* During that 6 months I thought about & wrote down all the reasons why I wanted to stop
* I kept thinking about those reasons
* I told family and friends when I was going to do it - they didn't believe me of course!

“Hi, my name is Ann. I'm 52 started smoking at 17yrs off and on until 28 about 10 cigarettes a day. Gave up at 28 when had children,started again at 35 always about 10 a day. From age 45 increased to about 15 a day until a year ago managed to get it down to 5 to 10 a day.Started getting permanent sore throat about a year ago. “Hi, my name is Ann. I'm 52 started smoking at 17yrs off and on until 28 about 10 cigarettes a day. Gave up at 28 when had children,started again at 35 always about 10 a day.

“I started smoking when I was 13. I started seriously smoking at age 15, I found it nice and it stopped me from eating during lunch breaks. When I was around 16/17 I swapped food for cigarettes, even losing 3 to 4 kilos in a week just having breakfast and dinner and nothing but ciggies in between. I loved smoking, it made me me.

Even if I was sick, i kept smoking. Even if I was in someones smoke free house I'd go stand outside in the cold and smoke.