Smoked since birth!

I was thinking about how long I had smoked and how long I have given up. I suspect, like me, a lot of us were smoking from the day we were born. Those of us who are a certain age can say that our parents smoked in the house and we (alot of us) followed suit pretty early on in our lives. I had a severe attack of bronchitis when I was 8 that, according to memory and family history, was so serious it nearly killed me. I really hated them smoking and used to play them up about it. It didn't stop them smoking and It didn't stop me starting when I was 14 though! At 58 I now have emphysema (albeit mild currently) and wonder about it all. No point in crying over spilled milk for me but it makes me shudder to realise that my smoking may have harmed my son ( I too smoked in the house until he was 9 - he's 27 now).

[Hidden]

Blimey after reading that i realise i stated smoking before i was born because my mother smoked when she was pregnant !!!!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I smoked when I was pregnant with my first son...no-one said a thing...and he weighed 9 pounds when he was born...lol

We live and learn don't we...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

yeah the hard way usually babe x

[SusieQs]

I feel guilty about smoking in front of my children when they were small now. Guilty of smoking in the car when they were in it, smoking watching tv with them, smoking at the dining table. Telling them to `wait till I`ve finished my cig`. Nowadays thank goodness most people reel in horror at the thought of a cigarette burning anywhere near a child. No-body I know now who smokes does so indoors now. At the time it was what everyone did and no-one thought anything about.

[Dmactds]

I think you're quite right about a great many of us smoking practically from the minute we were born; I can recall being sent to the filling (petrol) station next door by my father for ciggies when in my single digits age wise, so he was smoking at home when I was brought home from the hospital after birthing. My mother didn't start til years later. As for ciggies being bad for one's health, I also recall back then (around 60 years ago) being told by the old guys at the station that I shouldn't smoke those 'coffin nails' because they'd kill me. These days every time I hear of someone saying, "Well..., we didn't know they were bad for us..!!!", I simply smirk and think, "Yeah, sure..."

I've always known they were bad for me but didn't give it up til about six years ago. I'm 71 now and am dealing with the results of THAT habit and many of the other ways of my GLORIOUSLY MISSPENT YOUTH !!!!

[carolg1 in reply to Dmactds]

Couldnt agree with you more, just wish it hadnt got me this way at 50 yrs old wish it would have waited a bit longer but no good wishing but your post has made me smirk too ....... xx

[Hidden]

I heard on the News tonight that ecigs are being banned indoors because of passive smoking. Does that mean you can become addicted to nicotine through passive smoking.

[Hidden]

I always thought it was the tar and other chemicals that was bad about passive smoking. Didn't realise that you could get hooked on the nicotine vapour?? I gave up cold turkey but I think a lot of people are relying on ecigs

[carolg1]

Try not to dwell on it we can,t turn the clock back (if only) and to be fair a lot of posts on here from people with severe COPD have never smoked !! I just wish people would take the illness more seriously and spend a bit more money on finding a cure or better meds , our country is way behind others, I assume you have stopped now and hopeful the progression will be slower, ive learnt that thinking positive and happy thoughts are far better for you than the if onlys....... take care and keep smiling xx

[Offcut]

Neither of my parents smoked in the house I started when I was 14, 1969 and gave up 1992 But I worked with wood dust, mica, MDF dust and asbestos!