Smoking

[chrismac]

OK - confession time.

 

I've had a hard time completely giving up smoking. I started in my early twenties when traveling around Europe with a girl from my college. I have never been a heavy smoker (max half a pack a day during my heaviest smoking period), but I quit for 6 months, or even up to a year, then I pick one up, or bum one from someone and I gradually get back to about 5 a day.

 

Last year I resolved to do something about it. I've never tried the patch, or nicotine gum, or hypnosis, so I thought I'd put myself on my own program. I metered out cigarettes to myself starting at 3 per day. The next week, I went down to two per day, then 1 per day, then 1 every other day. Finally, I'm at one cigarette a week. But OH GOD do I love that one cigarette. I think I'm able to go a week without any because, psychologically, I know I'm getting one on Friday evening.

 

How bad is that for me? I know it's not good - but am I really doing real harm to myself with one cigarette a week? I just don't know if I can give that one up. I'm not addicted (nor use) any other substances. I don't like coffee, don't drink pop, and the only cafeine I get is the small amount from the occasional green tea.

 

Anyone else have this issue? It's the last bad thing I'm doing to myself, but since I've given up killin' people and stealin' things, maybe we all need just one little (dangerous) pleasure in life. After all, sex can be dangerous to one's health as well. What do y'all think?

[+ imagooddog]

Hi Chris:

Oh man, how I admire you.....being down to only 1 cigarette a week. I think if I could do that maybe I could quit for good!! I smoke about a pack a day and have quit many times only to go back again. I think I rationalize it because other than sex, its my only bad vice (I don't drink or do any kind of drugs). It is a nasty VERY addictive thing and I cannot imagine anything harder to give up when you are truly

addicted. Non-smokers cannot possibly understand its hold on you.

I will say that I am a considerate smoker, never in the house nor in the presence of people who do not smoke. And if I am having escort company, I will not smoke for several hours before and make sure that my breath and clothes do not reek of smoke. I have tried the gum and the patch without much success, obviously.

Keep up the good work, Chris. Its not easy but you can do it!:-) :-)

[chrismac]

Thanks Sun.

 

I hope you can at least cut back. The one thing that probably kept me from smoking more was that I would always get a headache from too much nicotine. So I had sort of a natural moderating mechanism I suppose.

 

My friends and family always told me; "If you smoke so little, why not just quit?" Yeah - easier said than done. So now I just tell everyone I have quit. It's pretty easy to hide a one-cigarette-a-week habit!

[Guest Thunderbuns]

>I metered out cigarettes to myself starting at 3 per day. The next >week, I went down to two per day, then 1 per day, then 1 every other >day. Finally, I'm at one cigarette a week. But OH GOD do I love

>that one cigarette. I think I'm able to go a week without

>any because, psychologically, I know I'm getting one on

>Friday evening.

 

Do you think the same thing would work with someone

addicted to cock? :-)

 

I have a friend who used to smoke like a chimney. He found himself a new boyfriend who was really into health - eating right - gym 5 times a week etc. Needless to say the new friend didn't smoke.

 

He got my friend equally interested in fitness & health and going to the gym and building a great bod. But the smoking continued. One day the BF showed him an ashtray where a cig had been allowed to burn right down in the holder until all that was left was the gunk & tar lying in the ashtray.

 

He said to my friend - look at that crap. That's what you're putting into your lungs on a daily basis. Mt friend stopped cold turkey the same day. He was determined not to fuck up his new bod with all those pollutants.

 

I know this probably won't inspire anyone here to stop, but I thought his approach was interesting - and effective!

 

Thunderbuns

[chrismac]

To keep myself from going over my "one cigarette per week" limit, I go to the convenience store on Friday evening, buy a pack, and take it home. I lovingly unwrap the pack, like little Charlie Bucket, and take out my one cigarette.

 

After smoking it DEEPLY, like a prisoner of war, I take the rest of the cigarettes, crush them and douse them in water. Then I throw them away. This way, they don't become stale, and I'm not as tempted by having them handy for another week. Also, being half-Scottish, it appeals in a perverse way to my cheap side; I absolutely won't go out and do THAT again more than once a week!

[foxy]

This winter I made a number of trips to the local hospital to visit a friend who was in for surgery. Every day there was a group of doctors and nurses standing outside in the cold smoking. Most of the nurses were very fat. Didn't say much for the medical profession. I also wonder about bartenders and the second hand smoke they take in every night. On the other hand, that cigarette and a brandy after a good dinner is rather nice.

[Guest Merlin]

I don't think anyone can say that one cigarette a week does not hurt. The cell damage that causes the beginning of lung cancer does not necessarily result from years of smoking, but apparantly can result from a single smoke. It is much more likely to happen after years of smoking as a matter of probability. If you can get down to one cigarette once in a while perhaps hypnotism would enable you to drop it for good.