Too Late to Quit

[El Bandito]

I have smoked for 30 years, Man and Boy. 

 

I started at 13 years old. Usual stuff - I wanted to be cool, grown up.

 

I quickly got into my stride - comfortably putting away 2, 3 packs a day throughout my twenties and thirties. I had a couple of goes at quitting - the usual stuff - girlfriends nagging, a health scare or two. A couple of times I was quit for months at a time.

 

Then, change of girlfriend or emotional trauma and I was back to a pack a day and more.

 

In the back of my mind, I knew that I was a smoker for ever. My family all smoked.

 

Some people are non-smokers who smoke - and some are proper smokers. I am a proper smoker. A cigarette looks great in my hand. It suits me. Bad cold? I can smoke through it. Freezing outside - I can go out in a tee shirt - a man has got to smoke.

 

As I moved into my 40s, it was getting harder to be a smoker. Bans everywhere. Hell, I didn't even smoke in my house!

But quit? Nah - it's too late for me. I'm a proper smoker. I have a stressful job - and need to have a smoke. 

 

......

 

UTTER UTTER NONSENSE 

 

Nobody is a proper smoker.

Nobody looks good with a cigarette. They just look addicted.

Nobody suits a cigarette.

 

Cigarettes cause stress - not relieve it.

 

There are many many way ways to quit smoking. Information on pretty much all of those ways can be found around here. Here you will also find people just like you - people who quit years ago, months ago, weeks ago, yesterday. We help each other. It's what we do.

 

So - if you are here for the first time, are just having a browse, or believe that you can't quit - because you are a 'proper smoker' - do yourself a favour read some more. 

 

Two final things.

 

1. Every successful quit starts just like yours. Decide to quit. Believe - And you will

2. I'm a proper non-smoker. Check my signature below...

 

Anyone can quit. Why not do it?

[Nicole Diver]

Well said.

[Tink]

great post Stu - you are a proper non smoking gent :)

[beacon]

I agree. I started smoking my father's cigarettes when I was 15. Smoked a pack a day until seven months ago where at 50 years old I passed out in my kitchen for the second time and ended up in the cardio wing of the ER. Luckily, I did not have a heart attack but that was it for me as far as smoking. While I wish I would have quit at 20 or 30 or 45, I quit now. I did something I never thought I would actually do. I am so glad.

[Markus]

It's the story of you and all of us  :)

 

Great piece of writing! 

 

I would never quit either, I was a "proper smoker".

[Still winning]

Bandito, brilliant post, so many of us could have written it. I phoned my school buddy Lee this week and told him I'd quit, he was quite gushy for a bloke, just said wow I thought you were a "lifer", so did I...like you, I'm not. x

[joe]

Well said Bandito .....yep, its the same story, different author ...all our quit stories are so similar...we start young....we know we shouldnt...we know it could kill us...and a lucky few of us will quit before it DOES kill us..

[El Bandito]

Bandito, brilliant post, so many of us could have written it. I phoned my school buddy Lee this week and told him I'd quit, he was quite gushy for a bloke, just said wow I thought you were a "lifer", so did I...like you, I'm not. x

Always a choice...

 

To borrow from Trainspotting (cracking movie) - "We Chose Life"

[Doreensfree]

A great post stu......very well said

Thanks

[babs609]

I started in the womb. (Sorry mom)

I also remember when I was 5 my mom was on a bowling league...and when she would go up to bowl...I would puff her cigarette. She never knew. But you would think someone else would have seen and told her.

 

 

Great post el bandito.

[Paul723]

There is strength in this post that will help others.

[El Bandito]

I started in the womb. (Sorry mom)

I also remember when I was 5 my mom was on a bowling league...and when she would go up to bowl...I would puff her cigarette. She never knew. But you would think someone else would have seen and told her.

Great post el bandito.

As a kid, I always whined..."please don't smoking in the car...yeuch..". "Smoking is horrible". Back then, parents didn't know! Even if the 'talk' had started on TV...everybody knew "Auntie Kate, smoked a pack a day and had 5 perfect children"

 

Like every other smoker I have ever spoken too, if they could turn the clock back, they would not have started.

 

We can't do time travel, but we CAN quit...even us proper smokers!

[bakon]

Nice FB

 

Now tell us about your life dressing as a woman. I think I would like some of the silky things.

[El Bandito]

Well my Porky friend, the Kilt, whilst a wondrous thing, does chafe a little...

 

I must look into silk....

[sharonsiff]

Great post, no doubt many newbies will read that and it will inspire them to think I have the power to choose and make the right choice.

[Soozie]

I also remember when I was 5 my mom was on a bowling league...and when she would go up to bowl...I would puff her cigarette. She never knew. But you would think someone else would have seen and told her.

 

 

Great post el bandito.

 

 

omg that's scary !

[El Bandito]

I started in the womb. (Sorry mom)

I also remember when I was 5 my mom was on a bowling league...and when she would go up to bowl...I would puff her cigarette. She never knew. But you would think someone else would have seen and told her.

Great post el bandito.

Smoking at 5? Now that was advanced! Scary.

 

Which came first? Walking or driving? ;)

[babs609]

Well I didn't regularly puff. Lol. Only at the bowling and probably once.(Theres that one puff. And i didn't inhale). When I started learning in school of the dangers of smoking, I begged my parents not to smoke..I even threw a carton away. Mom was not pleased.

[El Bandito]

Ha! I can't imagine what my Dad would have done if I had thrown a carton away.

[Doreensfree]

Bump ..brilliant post from our Stu xx

[Evelyn]

Thanks  ;) no one looks fancy with a cigarette, or coughing soooo much and loud you almost choke, or that I needed singulair to continue my smoking... no it's not cool at all. It's plain addiction. Time to threw it out. Get some oxygen in  B)

[Doreensfree]

Mike ,hello and welcome...so glad you found us...

Please say a small hi in the introduction thread...you will get a much bigger welcome there..

When you are ready ..

[Reciprocity]

Come join us mikecoulson while you quit smoking. You will find a lot of good information about smoking and quitting as well as some very good support here from everyone and that does make a difference. Look forward to hearing from you again  :)  

[Dee]

Hello Mike this is great place to hang out visit read get and give support.