Smoking was just part of life when you grew up in the 50s and 60s. Everywhere you turned, you were bombarded with the delights of smoking: endless TV commercials, attractive actors smoking, ads in newspapers, etc. The "delights" of smoking could not be avoided.
The smart knew that smoking was an addiction; that it caused cancer; that it caused a lot of heart disease and many other less than desirable health problems. However, many of us refused to see the light. The rush of nicotine and the social acceptance were commonplace. And our culture was clever at pushing addicting habits on the public. Our ancestors brought the "drug" rum to the Native Americans; we fought heartily during the Boxer Rebellion to ensure payment of opium rather than money to the Asians. From the Native Americans, we even took a primarily religious event (smoking) and made it into a world-wide habit.These were all sad events but what are you to do?
QUIT
O, that one had a magic powder-that-poof... you are cured of the habit of smoking. However, it is not that easy. I can relate quitting smoking to my struggle against alcohol. With addictions, you won't listen to others. A screaming group of 50,000 people could be telling you to quit the habit... and you wouldn't believe them. To quit is not easy. You have to do it pretty well on your own.
I am not a doctor and frankly their success is not 100%. I can only tell you what worked for me.
TODAY, THIS HOUR
Today, this hour, I will not smoke. Don't say you will never smoke. Don't say that you will even stop smoking for this week. Say that you won't smoke this hour. It's not easy but do this every hour for the first few days. You will have many cravings along the road but they will go away. Try to get some mints and take a few when this happens. Also try to replace you smoking times with something else. Don't take up robbery or extortion! It might be better for you to help somebody. Take out the trash for granny next door, drop off some old clothes at the charity boxes around town, etc. Smoking is selfish-you took yourself away from your loved ones to spend time along outside. Now, do something for someone else.
MOTIVATION
Keep away from tobacco! Think of the one's that didn't quit. Perhaps a family member or loved one. They are gone. They were well loved. And..they would want you to quit smoking.
NEVER GIVE UP
Churchill said, "Never give up, never give up, never give up." Next time you get the urge-think of those smelly clothes-think of that breath like an armadillo-think of your teeth stained like walnut-think of your snot filled nose-think of that "cough"that just won't go away. And think of me.
I smoked for fifty-one years. If I can quit, you can too. While we do not know the future and what we do may not add a single minute to our lives. We do know that, with effort, we can live the rest of our lives without being the slave of tobacco.