Is age a factor......

[JackiMac]

Having an in depth conversation with my Hairdresser yesterday, he is a smoker and has had many attempts to quit since I have been getting my hair done by him. Topic of conversation turned to age, and here is what we deduced between us.  When we start smoking at a young age we feel, cool, part of the gang, "grownup", we don't stop to think of the consequences, we think we look really good with a cigarette in our hand, we then reach our twenties and smoking still continues to be cool, fun part of the in crowd, sometimes we think about stopping but "hey we have our whole lives ahead of us for that", nothing bad will happen to us because we are untouchable right!.  In our Thirties, marriage, children, mortgages, bills creep in stress takes over, there is no way we can stop smoking now, just no time for it, occasionally we  will sigh, can't; really afford it, no longer feels fun, or cool but hey we still have a lifetime ahead of us and nothing bad will happen to us.  Forties OMG reality check, slight health problems may be kicking in, we are now starting to really look at quitting, half heartedly attempt to maybe quit, our life suddenly seems a little shorter, as we start to approach our 50's we begin to get panicky, wish we had never started, really attempt to try and quit.  My hairdresser is in his late twenties and as we were talking he was like, bloody hell that is so true, he said I wish I had never started but I don't worry too much as I still have my whole life ahead of me, so stop now was my reply.  Why wait until it is too late, harder to quit the habit, why wait until health problems kick in to make you question what you are doing,  We can't turn the clock back.  Although we all wish we could.  Better to stop now or even better never lift a cigarette and light it..................

[Colleen]

This is so true.  I know of people that smoked and were quit for 30+ years become diagnosed with COPD and such...years after quitting.  The sooner you quit, the better.

[Still winning]

Wish I never had of started!!

 

Wish someone could have talked me out of feeling invincible for years and years....

 

Savvy post and realisation Jackie.  There have always been points in every smokers life where they wanted to pull of the quit. My only different point is we created a ton of timeline related excuses why we couldn't.

 

x

[Leanna]

The younger a person is when they quit, the less at risk they are of developing smoking-related illnesses. I have always believed this. I also believe that quitting while you're young can be a bit easier than quitting after 30-40-50+ years of smoking. I wish people my age would quit more often, as tomorrow is never guaranteed -- we are not invincible or free of disease.

[Nancy]

Wonderful and thought provoking post, Jackie...so very true.

 

I think one thing that is different now than when I was a young smoker, is that there are so few places you can smoke.  Honestly, (this is embarrassing to admit)  that was a big reason I decided to quit...it was just too much damn hassle, anymore!  I know that is not a very good reason, but it worked for me!

[beacon]

I quit at 50 . There is no more time to mess around

[Gabby]

I wish I had never started.  I'm in the 50s panic. 

[robert]

I wish I had never started.

 

There is nothing more useless than an impossible wish. One can only do their best to choose wisely moving forward. I'm glad that I chose to stop smoking ...

[Doreensfree]

Brilliant post jackie....that made me think about my smoking career of 52 years...

I believed it was my friend..my little reward.....my treat.....

After all I was having no health issues ....well not major ones anyway....nothing bad will happen to me.....

At the age of 62 ,I was faced with a massive choice.....keep my little friend.....face amputation....

I wasn't getting away with nothing....the damage was happening slowly...that slow I didn't see it coming....

It took Allen Carr.....and folks here to finally see.....I can live a much happier life without it....

Carnt turn back the clock.....just live what time I do have left....healthier and whole....

[El Bandito]

Instincts.

 

That first cigarette...picture your first cigarette in your mind.

 

How did it taste? Sweet? How did it feel in your lungs? Did you cough? Did you suppress a cough?

 

That innocent first reaction was the truth. 

 

Then we spent years, literally years, convincing ourselves that we enjoyed smoking. Unable to make a convincing argument - we even invented effects! "It calms me down, when I'm stressed".

 

Lies all lies.

 

Robert is right - we cannot change the past. We can however take control of the now. Every cigarette not smoked is a victory, is a positive step.

 

Great post Jackie.

[Rooster]

Age is a huge factor. I'm 23 and likely would not have quit at all if not for the outside push of my grandparents passing in quick succession due to smoking related illnesses. I recognized in those moments I didn't want to make others feel the way I did in 40 or 50 years so I resolved to stop it now, but it certainly wasn't for health, financial or other reasons. Now that I'm on the other side I don't even see the feeling of being in the "in" crowd or seeming cool. My smoking friends still treat me exactly the same. I think those thoughts are just another tendril nicotine uses to keep you held close. I wish I could help people my age to quit without having to go through some shattering trauma, but it is very difficult to make things land. I welcome any suggestions if you've got em.

[robf]

I started my smoking life in my late teens, on my 39th Birthday I decided I wanted to be a year quit by the time I'm 40, so I stopped smoking. On my 41st Birthday I was 2 years quit. I plan to be 3 years quit on my 42nd.

[Humbled]

Good post Jackie it was like a walk down my own timeline - after 25 years I finally became a non-smoker at 39 - I just turned 40 in January and it will be my first full year without a cigarette since I was 14 - what an idiot I was.  I went from a teenage burnout to an adult stupid ass - now I get to be a healthy normal man - that has a much better ring to it.

[Gemzee]

I quit when I was 30 and I'm so glad I stopped then!

[Tyme2B]

I tried to stop many times throughout the years but I liked smoking and when I think back now I wish I had hated it from the beginning. Here I am quitting at age 62. I was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis & mild COPD. Whenever I got a cold I ended up with pneumonia. This year I have not even contracted a cold (knock on wood). I want to live a healthy life & enjoy my life & my grandchildren. And I certainly want to set a good example for them! When my grandfather was dying of lung cancer he asked me to promise him I would not smoke. But I did. His words were so wise, he regretted and I still didn't listen. Foolish! But I have now started the rest of my life as a non smoker. My sister & 2 friends who were long time smokers quit last year. When we are young we think we are invinceable. But as we age we discover we're not! Nasty habits like this are tough to break. BUT we CAN stop.

[Tyme2B]

Wish I had never started!

[Rob]

When my grandfather was dying of lung cancer he asked me to promise him I would not smoke. But I did. His words were so wise, he regretted and I still didn't listen. Foolish!

Touching post Tyme. Don't think anyone would blame you for continuing to smoke after that either, because I think we all realise how powerful the addiction is and how it alters our thinking. Glad you're enjoying life now smoke free! :)

[ArmedNAruba]

I tried to stop many times throughout the years but I liked smoking and when I think back now I wish I had hated it from the beginning. Here I am quitting at age 62. I was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis & mild COPD. Whenever I got a cold I ended up with pneumonia. This year I have not even contracted a cold (knock on wood). I want to live a healthy life & enjoy my life & my grandchildren. And I certainly want to set a good example for them! When my grandfather was dying of lung cancer he asked me to promise him I would not smoke. But I did. His words were so wise, he regretted and I still didn't listen. Foolish! But I have now started the rest of my life as a non smoker. My sister & 2 friends who were long time smokers quit last year. When we are young we think we are invinceable. But as we age we discover we're not! Nasty habits like this are tough to break. BUT we CAN stop.

 

 

Excellent post and I'm sure hits home for many lurkers out there.

 

It is never too late to quit.

[cpk]

Reading a lot of posts...it seems that most people are steady smokers...a certain number every day for a certain number of years.

 

My smoking patterns have been very different, according to whether I was living alone, living with a non-smoker, what kind of job, whether or not I was in a party culture, had young children or pets at home etc.

 

Frankly, I've now lost track of where you can't smoke in public because it seems like everywhere. It isn't just that. You can't go to church, or on a job interview smelling like smoke. If you cough in the movie theater, or the grocery store, you get stares. There is a lot more pressure.

 

Because of the way I smoked, this is positive pressure. I think I may have been a social smoker, even though lately I smoked alone a lot. I didn't like the way smoking had become so isolating.

 

No doubt, many young people won't start because there is a lot of social pressure.

 

However, that being said, the message isn't yet fully out. I read an article where this American museum hired some big-shot curator. She's a smoker, so they built special ashtrays into the balcony off her office! Obviously, this museum had not yet gotten the message that smoking ain't cool. And...the curator was in her 50's! How much fruitful work are they going to get out of her?

 

This is the "Walt Disney" syndrome...

 

It's lonely at the top.

 

And dangerous.

 

The tobacco industry is working very hard to come up with new ways to deliver nicotine...without the smoke.

 

Let's hope the next chapter of this story isn't about nicotine addicts sucking on all sorts of delivery systems.

 

The emphasis has to be on the addiction. That was the topic of the long, glorious post by Markus. (See "Reality - Quitting is a Mind Game")

 

I think my only chance at keeping to a final quit is a complete lifestyle revamp. We have to ask...what makes us happy? And do more of that.

 

Coming off smoking is realizing that cigarettes took away my happiness. Maybe when you are young you can maintain happiness while still smoking...but it gets harder and harder.

 

Any age, and any time is a good time to quit. That's happiness...a big Starter's Kit.

 

PS I wouldn't let a smoker do my hair even before I quit. Not on my high horse...as the present person who cuts my hair is on medication for seizures! I always ask her, as a joke, "Took your seizure medication today, right?" and she laughs and waves about a very sharp pair of scizzors!

[cpk]

Instincts.

 

That first cigarette...picture your first cigarette in your mind.

 

How did it taste? Sweet? How did it feel in your lungs? Did you cough? Did you suppress a cough?

 

That innocent first reaction was the truth. 

 

Then we spent years, literally years, convincing ourselves that we enjoyed smoking. Unable to make a convincing argument - we even invented effects! "It calms me down, when I'm stressed".

 

Lies all lies.

 

Robert is right - we cannot change the past. We can however take control of the now. Every cigarette not smoked is a victory, is a positive step.

 

Great post Jackie.

So dizzy almost passed out.

[cpk]

Age is a huge factor. I'm 23 and likely would not have quit at all if not for the outside push of my grandparents passing in quick succession due to smoking related illnesses. I recognized in those moments I didn't want to make others feel the way I did in 40 or 50 years so I resolved to stop it now, but it certainly wasn't for health, financial or other reasons. Now that I'm on the other side I don't even see the feeling of being in the "in" crowd or seeming cool. My smoking friends still treat me exactly the same. I think those thoughts are just another tendril nicotine uses to keep you held close. I wish I could help people my age to quit without having to go through some shattering trauma, but it is very difficult to make things land. I welcome any suggestions if you've got em.

Stay quit. Forever. That will help. Be happy! :wub: cpk