That Could Have Been Me.

[Boo]

Talked for a little while with a guy who started out as a professional acquaintance but has become a friend.  He is a mechanic and shop owner.  We send any company trucks that need repaired to him.  He's a good mechanic and a great guy.  He's also a smoker, a heavy smoker.

 

Every time he would take a drag off of his cigarette, he would cough and clear his throat.  Then he had a terrible coughing fit that went on for a while.  He was out of breath.  His face turned red.  His eyes watered-up from coughing so hard.  

 

I have noticed a change in his demeanor lately.  He seems tired all the time.  He doesn't laugh as much as he used to and when he does laugh it sets off a coughing spell.  The cigarettes are beginning to take a toll on him.  He has asked me about quitting before and I was more than happy to tell him about my experience.  Unfortunately, it never really took with him.  His "quits" would start in the morning and be over before noon.

 

It's a damn shame.  He could quit right now, but I seriously doubt he ever will.  He is beginning to feel the heavy burden of smoking and that load only gets heavier going forward.

 

I quit four years-ago.  Smoking is a distant memory and I am a bit complacent about my quit most days.  However, today was a reminder of how grateful I am to have quit smoking.

[jillar]

Your friend sounds like my sister with the coughing fits that turn her face beet red. I too don't think she'll ever quit but it doesn't stop me from mentioning quit train to her every chance I get in hopes that one day she'll give it a shot and see how doable quitting is.

[Lust4Life]

Great reminder, boo!  When I encounter people huffing, puffing, coughing and such - I’m thankful to not be in that battle anymore. And now... w COVID and masks.  The thought of re-inhaling stale smokers breath makes me gag.  Glad to be free!! 

[Nancy]

Anyone can quit, but my brother Jim never found his way.  So, we said goodbye to him 9 years ago.  He has missed his beautiful granddaughters growing up..the little one in his arms is 16, now...

[Doreensfree]

It's good to reflect sometime and not get complacent

This last two years I've lost my two life long companions ......

I watched my friend beg for a cigerette hours before she slipped away ...

Hoping your friend Boo...takes on board what you told him ...and at least has him thinking ...this could be him too..

[Reciprocity]

Some see the light & some never do. It’s a shame really for those who choose to continue but we each of us have to make our own choices & live with the results.

[greenlight]

This is a great reminder and this could easily have been any of us. Like you, I am so grateful I quit and don't have to worry about this about my own health anymore. Such a shame though, I hope he will quit. Sadly, so many never do. 

[c9jane29]

This is my mom...she is so deep under the spell of addiction that she thinks all she has to do is smoke another one to make the coughing go away. 

I'm so glad I quit... I'm so glad all of you have quit also! Bunch of badasses on the Quittrain

[Boo]

I heard from my friend again this morning.  The doctors pretty much told him if he continues to smoke, he's not long for this world.  As he suspected he does have COPD now.  He has also developed blood clots that require surgery.  The threat of a stroke is very real and he has all but lost use of his left leg.

 

Scare tactics never worked on me when I was still smoking; I could bury my head in the sand as well as anyone.  This is not an attempt to scare anyone into quitting, it's just a reminder of the heavy toll paid by smokers for their addiction.  And frankly, it hurts like hell to see it happen to someone I know and like.

 

A line I read from Hunter S. Thompson years ago has always stuck with me: "A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance."

 

I hope you all make your choice and don't wait for circumstance to determine your fate.

[Doreensfree]

I'm sorry about your friend Boo....

I hate this addiction ......I came close to losing limbs myself ...

Watched my hubby die of Copd/ Emphysema.....it's a horrible illness ....

We have to be thankful Boo ,you,me, and the quit train family found the strength to quit ....

[Gus]

I’m so sorry for your friend. Yes, we should all be very thankful we were able to conquer the Nicodemon and start living free from those chains. 

[Kris]

It is very hard to watch someone you care about suffer. All that you can do is pray that he understands and will have the courage to stop. I would suggest that he comes to the website, read, read and read. That are so many who have quit that did not think they could.  You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. At least you have tried to help him.

[DenaliBlues]

18 hours ago, Boo said:

Scare tactics never worked on me when I was still smoking; I could bury my head in the sand as well as anyone. 

Me too @Boo. This addiction gave me selective hearing... and selective caring. I know the risks, I know the science, it just didn't motivate me, figured everybody has to go one way or another. Part of what started to melt that ice was thinking about what my health problems would do to others. I lost my father after a very long illness (unrelated to smoking, but very sad) and the toll it took on my family was terrible. Do I want my partner to have to go through that heartbreak? Leave her wiped out financially and emotionally? And incur the anger and resentments of it being preventable? NOPE. I am grudgingly coming to accept that smoking is not a purely personal choice. It ultimately affects people around me, people I care about. It's a hard mindset to change after so many decades. I'm really sorry about your friend, Boo. But thanks for sharing this story.

Edited March 12, 2022 by DenaliBlues
typo

[Kris]

@DenaliBluesIt is hard to see the real truth of our addiction.  I did not listen until I saw the real damage I chose to do to my body. We can't explain our way out of it, blame it on anyone or something else.  The big truth is hard to accept. We are blessed that we have time to quit. We get to make the choice, to stop killing ourselves slowly. To finally accept that we were addicted to something that would kill us if we let it.

 

Now, even if we struggle, we can be here with our families and friends. There are millions that were lost to this addiction.  It is hard, there are so many rehabs for addiction but none for us. Just another failure not addressed by the medical community. 

 

 

[Sunnyside]

I'm really sorry to hear about your friend Boo. It is a truly awful addition. I hope he finds the strength to quit.