Table 4 Participants’ quotes on the use of NRT for optional temporary abstinence in the homes

a:

Married male, 35-44: “No, I think for me I have to stop and stop straightaway in one go, stop and that would be it and then never smoke again, be like an alcoholic that doesn’t drink anymore. I’d still be a smoker that doesn’t smoke”

b:

Cohabiting female, 25-34: “Personally I'd like to in the long run I would like to be smoke-free altogether”

c:

Single female, 16-24: “Well, I wouldn’t see much point in that [using NRT for TA] to be honest if I was, if I was going to stop smoking, if I was going to use something like that [NRT] I’d want to stop smoking completely, not just in the house. You know, because that way I wouldn’t be cheating going outside for a cigarette or – I really do need to stop smoking myself, for myself, for the children cos that way I’m going to be here longer hopefully”

d:

Married female, 35-44: “I would say gums and patches and er I dunno, what else, some kind of maybe not knowledge but I would need to make my own mind right this is the moment, we are not smoking at home. That’s all, end of the story. It would harm our er children so we are not smoking at home any more. If I can't say right maybe I will get the chewing gum or patches but I think you need to get this kind of understanding how, how I'm around children, this is not the place to, to smoke”

e:

Single female, 25-34: “I don’t know, I just can’t see it [use of NRT] cos it might, you don’t know why, people don’t know the effects, it’s going to make you feel odd… I think they’ve got to be put, put more out the reasons why people want it, to make the house as smoke-free. They want to put it out more to people why they want to make, they want the house smoke-free”

f:

Cohabiting male, 16-24: “I tried it once, none of 'em worked so there's no point”

g:

Single female, 16-24: “I just don’t think it works. I think it's more willpower… And if you, if you’ve got the willpower you’ll say no, I'm no, I'm not going to. See I haven’t and I’ll say oh I want a fag anyway. So I just think it's a waste, in my mind I think it's a waste of time”

h:

Married female, 35-44: “I think a lot of it is about you wanting to at that time and the will power and you can sit and you can say, oh I've had these patches on for 2 weeks and not done anything but if you're wearing the patches and still constantly doing your same habit with your cigarettes, I mean, you're not going to be able to give up. I think it's got a lot to do like, if I want to give up and I take everything, you know, and I try every single thing but then at the same time I still keep my cigarettes in my everyday routine I'm not gunna give up am ?”

i:

Single female, 25-34: “I don’t know how much of sort of my anxiety with it is about, I s'pose m’ obviously it's a lot to do with the nicotine but also the sort of give myself five minutes space or fresh air or out on your own sort of thing so I don’t know how, cos I've never really tried them I don’t know how much my sort of anxiety’s to do with just wanting to sort of get out and have, do that ritual or if it's actually just the nicotine sort of thing yeah”

j:

Cohabiting male, 16-24: “I’d love to use it [NRT] to cut down and stuff like that. I don’t really want to smoke for the rest of my life either really… I’d probably try and cut down first then try and quit altogether”

k:

Single female, 25-34: “The idea of the thought of just absolutely stopping is quite like terrifying but I think your thought when you're always thinking I can have one in a bit sort of thing and then use something to sort of take the edge off your sort of cravings I think yeah that would be really helpful yeah, yeah…I s'pose cut down and then, and then, get to a point where you feel you're able to quit”

l:

Single female, 35-44: “I'd erm go on the patches … and the inhaler. So I've got something in my hand … Then I'd cut down slowly as much as I could”

m:

Single male, 25-34: “Oh definitely I'd have patch, gum or lozenges … definitely if that were the case where I had my daughter full time d'you know what I mean definitely on spot… Yeah stop completely d'you know what I mean. I don’t I, d'you know what I mean I'd sooner just stop… I'd sooner not smoke altogether d'you know what I mean I don’t see the point and that d'you know what I mean just having a smoke, but then smoking outside d'you know what I mean I'd sooner not smoke altogether”