A Clydebank woman has told how smoking had a 'chokehold' on her before she kicked the habit of more than 40 years.

Karen Turnbull, 54, planned her life around smoking, which saw her need to spark up every hour or two. The House Manager with Renfrewshire Council’s children’s services had never tried to stop - believing it would be too difficult.

But a lifetime of smoking had deteriorated her teeth, eroded the bridge in her mouth, and restricted the blood circulation in her legs, making her self-conscious, wheezy, and restless any time she sat down or tried to sleep.

“I always thought it’d just be too difficult, said Karen. "Smoking had a chokehold on me and I was backed into a corner.

“I was smoking every hour or two hours. If I was going out, I’d be plotting when and where I could

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