IT was a landmark lifestyle change which transformed his life for the better at the dawn of the new millennium.

Now Steve Payne is urging people in Southampton to follow his legacy by making a crucial lifesaving decision to break the vicious circle of nicotine addiction.

The stop-smoking advisor for Southampton Quitters has warned smokers face the risk of falling victim to chronic diseases if they fail to kick the habit.

He is backing the Daily Echo’s Staying Alive campaign after we revealed that 13,000 of the Sotonians died prematurely from the four major killers of cancer, heart disease and stroke, and lung disease and liver disease between 2009 and 2011.

‘Nightmare’ Steve, 54, from Shirley, smoked up to 20 cigarettes a day before giving up in New Year 2000 on the eve of turning 40, spurred on in part by the death of his father Ernie from a heart attack five years earlier.

He said going cold turkey was a “nightmare” but added: “It was such a relief to be set free – I was no longer tied to it and felt alive again.

“I could breathe easier and had so much more energy.

“It’s the best health intervention that anybody can take and the effects are phenomenal.”

The former drugs advisor signed up as a smoking advisor nine months later and now runs stop-smoking sessions for Solent NHS Trust.

He added: “It’s so rewarding to see the change in people, but there are still smokers out there that don’t know there is a service available for them. Hailing the Echo’s campaign he added: “The Echo has really taken the initiative and been proactive and we need to keep putting that message out that we can help them.”

Southampton Quitters helped 1,071 people successfully kick the habit in the 2012/13 financial year while 1,981 approached them for help.

Its 54 per cent success rate means people are four times more likely to stub out than alone.

Sessions are held in venues across the city and treatments include Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Champix tablets.

The trust is also supporting our campaign and the authority’s health promotion manager Glenn Turner said: “The support given to clients is always person-centred – based on how addicted they are to nicotine and how difficult they find giving up smoking ,”

Contact 023 8051 5221 or see solenthealthyliving.nhs.uk to find your nearest group.