Last year, a friend of mine went to visit his brother in hospital. In the bed opposite was a man whose mouth was screened from view, with a metal frame holding his jaw open. Curious, my friend asked his brother what was wrong.
"The poor chap had tongue cancer, and his tongue had to be removed. He's a heavy smoker -- forty a day, his wife said."
At the time, my friend smoked around twenty cigarettes a day himself, but that hospital visit was a huge wake-up call for him. He drove home to our town, which is actually two settlements either side of a river. As he crossed the old stone bridge, he stopped his car, went to the parapet, and threw his cigarette packet and lighter into the water. He has never smoked a cigarette since.
What Would Make YOU Quit Smoking?
Perhaps you are one of those people who feel that their health is their own concern, and it's up to you to decide how much risk you're prepared to take. But 'no man is an island', and your sickness or death could have a profound effect on other people. In the waiting-room at our local hospital is a poster which simply says:
If you think giving up smoking is difficult, try telling your children you have lung cancer.
Sounds like a pretty powerful argument to me.
Staying Away From Smoking
Many people who smoke manage to give up for a while, then their willpower fades and they go back to their old bad habits. This might be partly because the focus of most programs and books to help people quit is on the negative stuff: give up, quit. learn to do without... But without a cigarette to hold, will your hands seem two feet across? If you don't have a cigarette to hide behind, do you feel exposed to the world? And without a cigarette in your mouth, what will provide that sucking comfort that we all took plenty of when we were babies? You must know lots of people who put on a lot of weight after giving up smoking, and it's a particular challenge for every ex-addict.
Nicotine patches can help with the physical problems, but you might need other help for those feelings of deprivation. Kris Kerr's book 101 Tips for Fighting Addiction has plenty of ideas for staying motivated, and making your quitting permanent.
The Biggest Payoff
Some of the benefits of giving up are pretty obvious: better health, a longer life, the appreciation of your family and friends. Others are more subtle: most people are too polite to tell you that you smell, but you will surely notice that, when you no longer stink of cigarette smoke, they don't back away when you come close. That has to be especially good if you're dating...
But even better will be the way you'll feel with yourself, once you've finally quit for good. There's a British TV ad that puts it pretty well: "Who will you be, what can you do, when you don't have that cigarette in your hand?" Throw away your smoking chains, and start living the rest of your life.
