Hospital scare leads teen to quit smoking

"I was going through a very rough patch about a year ago and I took up smoking," she said.

"I started at a couple a day and soon it was up to 20.

"I ended up in hospital with pneumonia because of it."

In an effort to improve both her life and her health, Jess signed on to the Wynyard High School's anti-smoking program.

Under the program some students are sponsored to use quit therapies.

"I started on the patches for a couple of weeks but I ended up going cold turkey," Jess, whose sponsor is Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest, said.

Jess understands it's only early days but is determined never to smoke again.

"It's hard to turn down a cigarette when your mate offers you one," she said.

"(But) you feel so much better."

Ms Forrest said it was encouraging to see Jess had stopped smoking and was involved in the school's Co- Pilots community mentoring program.

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