HYPNOTISED to happiness

Working in my fast-paced job in social services, I thought nothing of smoking 30 cigarettes a day. It was 2013, and my demanding role in child protection was taking its toll, making me stressed and anxious. My personal life offered no respite, either. When my relationship broke down in the same year, I became even more dependent on smoking.

I’d smoked since I was 23, telling myself it would help me lose weight after a break-up, but when I lost my mum to a stroke soon after, my bad habit had worsened.

Now, while a part of me felt relieved to