I was a willing victim to the extent that I didn't even realise I was a victim.
Like most of us I used to avoid the stop smoking adverts on the TV lest the wife and children started pointing the finger of accusation at me. I'd loudly profess, "I enjoy smoking, it's one of the few vices I have." I'd avoid long-haul holidays as I couldn't cope with the flight and then recently, with the nationwide ban, I'd avoid rail journeys too. I spent a week, with my family, in London standing outside restaurants, theatres, museums, hotels and shops grabbing my fix when I was permitted. "I really enjoy smoking."
A week at the bedside of a dying Grandparent, no, this is not a cancer scare, but a half mile return walk from her bedside to find somewhere I could smoke. The same week in a nearby hotel where you had to throw on some grubby clothes and stand alone in an icy car-park just so you can start sucking on the morning Marlboro. "I really enjoy smoking, it’s one of the few pleasures I have in life."
There are far more. We’ve all had them. We put on our rose-tinted smoking goggles and imagine every good time that we’ve ever had in our lives accompanied by a cigarette.
In the background we were always going to give up. I’ll stop when the wife’s pregnant, or maybe before the boy is old enough to realise his father smokes. I’ll definitely stop when I turn 40, I’m sure they’ll cure lung cancer soon, well let’s just get Christmas out the way, it isn’t Christmas without a fag is it..?
10 days ago I read a book. Before I’d got to the end of it I was a non smoker. Someone had pointed out that I was the victim, that giving-up smoking is not giving-up anything but is actually getting-stuff-back. Smoking is all in the head. The physical addiction is insignificant. I haven’t crawled the walls or bitten my wife’s head off.
I am the same person who couldn’t handle a 4 hour flight but has just completed 250 smoke free hours.
I don’t want congratulations or a kick up the pants for being stupid. I don’t want a pat on the back or a punch in the mouth for being so spineless.
I just wish that every single smoker could be granted a little Christmas gift of wisdom to understand the nicotine trap and then spend 2008 smoke free.
Written by
austinlegro
11 Years Smoke Free
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Sorry guys, no. It was actually Allen Carr's "Scandal"
Not even his "how to stop smoking" thingy I'm afraid although I'm sure the content and philosophy is exactly the same.
I see from a simple web search that, irrespective of whether he was the first to widely publicize or not, that there are a lot of similar publications / philosophies and an almost pathological hatred of nicotine therapies springing up.
I would argue that it doesn't matter how you give-up as long as you do give-up, but you can't deny that we're a golden goose for either the treasury, the tobacco companies and now the pharmaceutical giants.
"I really enjoy smoking, it’s one of the few pleasures I have in life."
There are far more. We’ve all had them. We put on our rose-tinted smoking goggles and imagine every good time that we’ve ever had in our lives accompanied by a cigarette.
In the background we were always going to give up. I’ll stop when the wife’s pregnant, or maybe before the boy is old enough to realise his father smokes. I’ll definitely stop when I turn 40, I’m sure they’ll cure lung cancer soon, well let’s just get Christmas out the way, it isn’t Christmas without a fag is it..?
Good post austin legro, I especially like the part above. This is 100% true lol, cant think how many times in the past I said, "ah sod it, i'll wait till xmas is over first" lol - always some excuse, or reason.
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