Post by Ann on Apr 28, 2006 7:40:31 GMT -5
The TRUTH:
For me and many others there is no such thing as one. We can`t stop at one. We may be able to start out smoking one here and there, but eventually that one will lead us right back to a 20 or 30 or 40 a day every day.
In my opinion, an addict is an addict whether you go all the way to hell on the express or the slow torture route. The laws of addiction are the same no matter the substance.
There is no such thing as a nice cigarette. It is a dangerous, smelly, nicotine delivery system lit on fire. There is no such thing as good chewing tobacco. It is messy, ugly and inconvenient. Way before cigarettes or chew kill us they take away our quality of life. We worried about cancer; we were embarrassed all the time; we had to excuse ourselves to go have a smoke even when we are supposed to be sitting at our mother`s hospital bed while she was dying from a smoking-related disease; we wheezed and puffed when we climbed the stairs; we cleared our throats all the time; we cared more about cigarettes than anything else. No, a cigarette would not be nice right about now.
Maybe no one will find out if you smoke a cigarette. But why is it that you want to hide it? If it is so bad that you have to hide, why do you want to do it? And really if you smoke, YOU will know. YOU will feel guilt, shame and self-loathing. And YOU will probably go back to smoking full time.
Cravings and urges do not go away as quickly as we want them to as far as I can tell. Cigarettes might look good and smell good forever for some people. So what? Compare the daily slavery of buying, smoking and worrying to the occasional annoyance of cravings. Compare heart disease, emphysema, and cancer to the annoyance of occasional cravings.
I don`t know anybody who smokes or chews that doesn`t experience negative consequences almost immediately. Most of the negative consequences we focus on are health-related - most of those we focus on are the serious ones like mouth or lung cancer - but there are problems that crop up pretty early on. Although for a long time I refused to associate most of the following problems with smoking, starting in my 20s I had elevated `bad cholesterol` levels, chronic sinus problems, an acid stomach, several bouts of severe laryngitis, a recurring dry cough, excessive phlegm, and trouble breathing during exercise. I had my tonsils out when I was 22 after several severe infections and I’m pretty sure that it was all smoking-related.
There are also other negative consequences. I felt like an outcast and a leper. Feeling guilt and shame about smoking while pregnant and worrying about the effects. Finding out that your child smokes and knowing it was you who taught her. Feeling bad about breaking your promises to quit.
The Surgeon General doesn`t warn that nicotine causes lowered self-esteem, painful self-doubt, dampened zest for life, loneliness, isolation, shame, anxiety, depression, anger, selfishness, arrogance, self-pity, denial, paranoia, reduced ability to connect with fellow human beings, and lots and lots of fear. Fear? What fear? How about fear of death and dying, fear of old age, fear of doctors, fear of check-ups, fear of stairs, fear of non-smokers, fear of ex-smokers, fear of high school reunions, fear of weight gain, and fear of failure... for starters.
Although I firmly believe that anyone - no matter how many times she or he has tried and slipped - can quit and stay quit especially if she works really hard at it, I also know that it is not absolutely certain that we will be able to quit again. I promise myself that I will not smoke myself to death. I can`t keep that promise unless I keep this quit.
Thanks for listening.
Guenevere
Found on Quitnet
For me and many others there is no such thing as one. We can`t stop at one. We may be able to start out smoking one here and there, but eventually that one will lead us right back to a 20 or 30 or 40 a day every day.
In my opinion, an addict is an addict whether you go all the way to hell on the express or the slow torture route. The laws of addiction are the same no matter the substance.
There is no such thing as a nice cigarette. It is a dangerous, smelly, nicotine delivery system lit on fire. There is no such thing as good chewing tobacco. It is messy, ugly and inconvenient. Way before cigarettes or chew kill us they take away our quality of life. We worried about cancer; we were embarrassed all the time; we had to excuse ourselves to go have a smoke even when we are supposed to be sitting at our mother`s hospital bed while she was dying from a smoking-related disease; we wheezed and puffed when we climbed the stairs; we cleared our throats all the time; we cared more about cigarettes than anything else. No, a cigarette would not be nice right about now.
Maybe no one will find out if you smoke a cigarette. But why is it that you want to hide it? If it is so bad that you have to hide, why do you want to do it? And really if you smoke, YOU will know. YOU will feel guilt, shame and self-loathing. And YOU will probably go back to smoking full time.
Cravings and urges do not go away as quickly as we want them to as far as I can tell. Cigarettes might look good and smell good forever for some people. So what? Compare the daily slavery of buying, smoking and worrying to the occasional annoyance of cravings. Compare heart disease, emphysema, and cancer to the annoyance of occasional cravings.
I don`t know anybody who smokes or chews that doesn`t experience negative consequences almost immediately. Most of the negative consequences we focus on are health-related - most of those we focus on are the serious ones like mouth or lung cancer - but there are problems that crop up pretty early on. Although for a long time I refused to associate most of the following problems with smoking, starting in my 20s I had elevated `bad cholesterol` levels, chronic sinus problems, an acid stomach, several bouts of severe laryngitis, a recurring dry cough, excessive phlegm, and trouble breathing during exercise. I had my tonsils out when I was 22 after several severe infections and I’m pretty sure that it was all smoking-related.
There are also other negative consequences. I felt like an outcast and a leper. Feeling guilt and shame about smoking while pregnant and worrying about the effects. Finding out that your child smokes and knowing it was you who taught her. Feeling bad about breaking your promises to quit.
The Surgeon General doesn`t warn that nicotine causes lowered self-esteem, painful self-doubt, dampened zest for life, loneliness, isolation, shame, anxiety, depression, anger, selfishness, arrogance, self-pity, denial, paranoia, reduced ability to connect with fellow human beings, and lots and lots of fear. Fear? What fear? How about fear of death and dying, fear of old age, fear of doctors, fear of check-ups, fear of stairs, fear of non-smokers, fear of ex-smokers, fear of high school reunions, fear of weight gain, and fear of failure... for starters.
Although I firmly believe that anyone - no matter how many times she or he has tried and slipped - can quit and stay quit especially if she works really hard at it, I also know that it is not absolutely certain that we will be able to quit again. I promise myself that I will not smoke myself to death. I can`t keep that promise unless I keep this quit.
Thanks for listening.
Guenevere
Found on Quitnet