As we mark National No Smoking Day, we looked back on people who spoke up in 2012 and in 2014.
Take a look at these Shields Gazette photo memories and tell us if they bring back recollections for you.
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5. Nikki's view in 2012
Mum-of-one Nikki Elliott spoke to the Gazette on No Smoking Day in 2012. The 26-year-old, from Harton, South Shields, said the day could be useful for people who wanted a starting point to try and quit. | sg
6. Alan had quit himself
Alan Steele, 56, was a worker in the Re-design charity shop in Fowler Street, South Shields, in 2014 and packed in smoking the year before He said: “I saw a bairn have an asthma attack in Jarrow when they were in a car in which someone was smoking, so I know it’s a dangerous thing." | sg
7. Kay was taking action
Dog groomer Kay Wright said she had been to a stop smoking event on the day she was interviewed by the Shields Gazette. | sg
8. Richard's view
Richard Earl, a smoker of nine years, from Gateshead, said quitting was a 'lot harder' than just trying to give up on No Smoking Day. | sg