A cousin of mine once approached me as I was smoking in the back yard and told me, “Hans, you do realize that smoking is bad for your health.” Being the older person in this conversation I turned to him and said in a rather serious manner, “You do realize that asking me to stop smoking is bad for your health!”
I personally do know the cons of smoking. I used to be an EMT for the Fire Department of New York. I have had my share of calls where a patient’s Oxygen bottle is about empty and the patient is unable to walk to the next room to get another bottle. This is all because He has been smoking almost all his life and He admits that if it wasn’t for his illness he would still be smoking. At the same time I have seen people sitting outside their stoop with an Oxygen mask in one hand and a lit cigarette on the other. Seeing that just makes me shake my head and keep driving.
I have three older sisters. We have known about smoking since we were very young. My father was a smoker and my grandfather also. I was never really curious about it just because I saw my father and grandfather doing it. I was more against the fact that it hurt my eyes whenever I am close to them and they are smoking. For the longest time I cannot seem to fathom why they would smoke. Was it to look cool or maybe to show stature with peers? It was a question in the back of my mind to which I can never really ask my father nor my grandfather. It probably is attributed to my upbringing of never questioning your elders, but still that question lingered.
In September 2001, I was deployed to the trade center and worked there consecutive days. With all the commotion the death in the air, the 24 hour days it seemed not to faze me at that point. Months after, while relaxing with friends, my curiosity got the best of me and asked for a cigarette. Yes, it was a huge turnaround. 25 years of not smoking and here I was asking for a smoke. It became and excuse I suppose to start smoking or as a good friend of mine said an emotional outlet for stress endured from work and having a family and such.
It was not as bad as it is now. Back then a pack would last me a whole week. The only time I really would be smoking is when I am at work doing midnight shifts. It helped me not only to stay up, but in some ways I tend to believe it helped with my stress. This pack a week habit continued on for years. A pack eventually was not enough a week. It became two a week up until I had some marital problems that is when it got worse, much worse. The first few weeks of my problems I was smoking two packs a day give and take.
I hid it from family, although they can smell it off me. It was an unconscious decision that somehow it how it will lead them to believe that I was not smoking or even if I am they would respect the fact that I know that they do know, but I would not be as bold to smoke in front of them. It’s a bit confusing I know, but with my family and our background it made some sense.
The two packs a day only lasted for a few weeks, but the smoking never ceased then. I do average a less than a pack a day on a good day and every time I would have a rough conversation with my ex wife it would increase for that day, but that was about it.
Now this article is about quitting smoking and so far all I have done is talk about my experience on how I started and my excuses for smoking. I think it is easier to approach a problem when you know the root of it and that is why I, up until now have been talking about my road to smoking.
A few months ago I was on the phone with my oldest son who is eight. He asked me why I started smoking or why I was smoking. I told him my reasons and I told him that I truly hope that he does not follow my footsteps when it came to this vice. In return he said to me “No I will not smoke. I wanted to know what happened so I know what to do so I will not start smoking.” Those are his exact words and it made me proud that it came from my son who is only eight. Deep inside I said to my self that if this is not a sign to stop smoking I do not know what is.
Reasons for smoking as I have discussed is mostly psychological to start with. Smoke long enough and it becomes more of an addiction then a dependency. As with so many things that we ingest our body copes with it and becomes used to the fact that it is part of our regular regiment. Quitting smoking is another story. Stopping is all mental. One has to basically overpower the will to smoke, the body’s urge for nicotine.
It is difficult to say the least, also the fact that almost anywhere you look you see someone smoking makes it even harder. Even as the government and some establishments are doing what they can to try to get people to cease smoking there is still a rather large number of our population that smokes.