A Brockley woman who smoked up to 60 cigarettes a day said quitting has improved her life.
Sam Scales smoked for 25 years and tried to quit numerous times before successfully giving up in March with the help of the smoking cessation service at the Ladywell Unit in Lewisham.
She received vapes and focused support from a tobacco dependency advisor at the unit, run by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
Sam, who has ADHD, said her friends refused to visit her flat as it stank of smoke, affecting her mental well-being.
Now smoke-free, she said the benefits are enormous.
Sam said: "I don't know how long it took but it wasn't that long after I'd come out of hospital that we measured my carbon monoxide levels, and they were down to a non-smoker's level, which was a really good moment.
"It was like 'wow!' – my lungs are clear.
"I've got my sense of smell back and my sense of taste – and when my appetite started returning, that was a really emotional moment for me as I've had appetite problems over the years.
"It means I now keep my weight up, which is a lifetime first.
"If I hadn't gone on the support programme in hospital, I would probably still be smoking now."
Sam said she couldn't make it to the end of the month with money when she was a smoker due to how expensive it was.
She said: "It's made a huge difference, it really has – particularly for my finances too.
"It used to be a really big issue for me as I couldn't make the end of the month because smoking was so expensive.
"Now I can survive the month and live comfortably again."
Sam shared her story as part of a campaign urging Londoners with mental health conditions to quit smoking.
Smoking is considered to be a driver of three of the top four causes of early death in people with mental health conditions – cardiovascular disease, lung disease, and cancer.
People with serious mental health conditions are also said to die on average 15-20 years earlier than those in the general UK population.
The campaign claims that quitting smoking can boost both mental and physical well-being, improving mood, saving money, allowing for better exercise, and reducing health risks.
Dr Ed Beveridge, consultant psychiatrist and clinical director at North London NHS Foundation Trust, and clinical lead for the campaign, said: "Evidence shows people with mental health conditions not only smoke significantly more but are also less likely to get help to stop, and they are therefore at a greater risk of smoking-related harm.
"This creates a vicious cycle as mental illness means that people are twice as likely to smoke, and the resulting nicotine dependence can make some of their mental health symptoms worse.
"A particular challenge is that for smokers with a mental health condition, the link between smoking and feeling relaxed is generally more pronounced and many feel smoking helps them relieve stress.
"However, any relief from nicotine by using tobacco to manage stress is only temporary, so people crave more and this in part leads to more smoking and more difficulty giving up.
"If we consider the long-term benefits of stopping smoking, we know that being a non-smoker actually reduces your stress levels as well as hugely improves your physical health and wellbeing – so stopping benefits your mental health as well as your physical health.
"That's why it's really important for smokers to seek help to quit."
Help and support for quitting smoking, including the Smokefree app and nicotine replacement therapies, are provided by London's local authorities.
People receiving ongoing mental health treatment should speak to a healthcare professional about the options available to them.
Support from a tobacco dependency advisor may be offered, depending on a person's individual needs.
