by gorgeousfluffpot » Mon May 04, 2009 3:06 am
~Well menohead, good luck on quitting again. Your description of your father's death is quite harrowing and should be obligatory reading for anyone who THINKS about taking up smoking!! My mother, too, was on an oxygen cylinder at the end and kept saying to me "I've done this to myself". All heartbreaking stuff but totally unreal if you talk to a surly 18-year-old who's puffing away at a fag ... they think it's cool and it keeps you thin.
I gave up years ago, after a 20-a-day habit on strong French cigarettes (Gauloises) that can stink out a building! In fact, I was totally addicted and ignored all the health stuff but the guy I was sweet on - and who I'd been making eyes at for ages - turned to me and said that he couldn't possibly kiss me because I smelt like an ashtray. That really shocked me (not least of all because after all my silent admiration from afar it was one of the first things he said to me!). I hadn't considered that I smelt and it offended my own vanity.
So I quit. Overnight. And turned to the fridge .... well, my luscious curves (OK, OK, let's be honest - my tubby figure!) is the result of thinking: "fags or cake?" and turning to the cake. Because cake doesn't stink! It wasn't easy but, in retrospect, I smoked only because it was 'cool' at the time and all my friends were doing it.
In giving up, I have found it best to say "I don't smoke" when offered a cigarette. That's an outright NO, and nobody asks you again. But if you say "I've given up" then it opens up all the discussions and people say "oh go on, just the one won't hurt".
But, menohead, sounds like you know all that anyway. Stress makes you turn to the strangest things for comfort and distraction. You know what the consequences are and just have to keep that as your motivator. Or, like me, eat cake! At least you can lose weight, but you can't lose lung cancer!
kEEP STRONG, LADIES.
Take cover! Hormones on the rampage again ...