The disgusting things smokers do!.....

[Ladybug]

It happened a while ago when I just quit! I had to make a delivery and the loading zone was busy, somebody else got there first and I had to wait.

 

I stayed in the car and watched the people, it was a busy place. I saw people going in and out; some took a break and went to the smoking corner. Out of the corner of my eye I notice an older woman; she bent down again and again and put something in her pocket. OK, she lost something, maybe money and she is trying to find it. I was about to open the door to help her, when she went to the smoking area. She wanted a smoke! No, she bent down again and put something in her pocket and continued searching for "stuff" on the ground.....and all of a sudden it hit me “Oh Gosh she is picking up cigarette butts, so that she can smoke them later”.

 

I thought how gross is that? was my addiction that bad, would I ...?

 

And then I got a flashback and saw myself going through my ashtray trying to find an old cigarette that I could still finish! And that’s not the only stupid thing I did! Thinking about those moments is such an eyeopener and helped me when I got a craving!
 

What are your disgusting smoking moments? What did you do just so you could smoke?

[Leanna]

Oh god LB, so many!

 

I also remember desperately fishing through all of my ashtrays to find a cigarette while I was out. I would smoke right down to the filter without an inch to spare!

 

One time, I accidentally dropped a cigarette in coffee and I STILL smoked it.

 

Whenever I accidentally lit the filter end of a cigarette, I'd cut off the burnt bit and smoke it. 

 

Talk about desperation. Addiction is sad. :( 

[Ladybug]

Oh god LB, so many!

 

I also remember desperately fishing through all of my ashtrays to find a cigarette while I was out. I would smoke right down to the filter without an inch to spare!

 

One time, I accidentally dropped a cigarette in coffee and I STILL smoked it.

 

Whenever I accidentally lit the filter end of a cigarette, I'd cut off the burnt bit and smoke it. 

 

Talk about desperation. Addiction is sad. :(

OH Gosh....yes I burnt the wrong end all the time...but it off and smoked it.....forgot about that :-)

[Soberjulie]

Oh yes ladies....I did those things too.

 

I also ran around the house, searched every junk drawer, under every sofa cushion, every pocket......to find enough change to buy a 8-10$ pack of smokes when I was out of money :(

[Leanna]

Disgusting, right? Ugh.

 

Me too Julie. I rolled pennies sometimes and took them to the bank.

[Ladybug]

yes, or asking a total stranger in the parking lot of you can buy one cigarette for 50 cents, because I forgot mine at home. I was pathetic  :wacko:

[Leanna]

Lol, not pathetic hun. Just addicted. I used to do the same thing. It was so embarrassing for me to approach people and ask. I'm actually kind of shy in person and I don't really like to hassle anyone.

[JackiMac]

Hands up to all the above, remember buying cigarette papers was all I could afford and emptying all the old smoked cigarettes into a tin and making roll-ups urggghhhhh 

[Ladybug]

Went to the hair salon and got highlights, 30 minutes waiting time nothing to do. I had all this foil on my head...looked like a scarecrow or an alien...still went outside just so that I could smoke! People looked at me funny, I didn't care...I had to smoke!

I must have been one of the most pathetic smokers :-( 

[Soberjulie]

Went to the hair salon and got highlights, 30 minutes waiting time nothing to do. I had all this foil on my head...looked like a scarecrow or an alien...still went outside just so that I could smoke! People looked at me funny, I didn't care...I had to smoke!

I must have been one of the most pathetic smokers :-( 

Ha! I forgot about doing that. 

I did that too :p

[Ladybug]

Ha! I forgot about doing that. 

I did that too :P

I would have been very disappointed to learn I was the only "crazy" one....I knew there was another :-)

[Paul723]

On a windy day I burnt my eye with a hot ash, ouch! Blamed the wind not the smoking.

[Nicole Diver]

Standing on my back deck is sub-zero temps in a blizzard. 

Had my Ugg boots by the door and the most ridic cap that had cat ears on it.

Now I complain in my head just running to my car in parking lot b/c so cold.  I don't know how I did it all those years.

Oh wait, I know how, I was an addict ;-)

[Ladybug]

Standing on my back deck is sub-zero temps in a blizzard. 

Had my Ugg boots by the door and the most ridic cap that had cat ears on it.

Now I complain in my head just running to my car in parking lot b/c so cold.  I don't know how I did it all those years.

Oh wait, I know how, I was an addict ;-)

Oh Gosh Jen....I remember standing outside in ice and snow trying to get the lighter to work click ...click...didn't work. Hiding behind the trashcan to get my cigarette burning...I did it all.....

 

OK you beat me with the cap with cat ears lol

[Rain Forest]

Went to the hair salon and got highlights, 30 minutes waiting time nothing to do. I had all this foil on my head...looked like a scarecrow or an alien...still went outside just so that I could smoke! People looked at me funny, I didn't care...I had to smoke!

I must have been one of the most pathetic smokers :-( 

 

hahaha!  I did that a few times while waiting for my hair to perm (you know: rollers in hair, solution on hair, plastic cap on head tied in front)... oh lord.... lol

[Donna10]

Oh yeah, I have rummaged thru an ashtray or two in my day looking for a cig that still had another puff or two on it if I had run out....lol

Recently, I was on my way out the door heading to work and realized my husband took my lighter to work. I frantically searched the house and couldn't find matches or another lighter. I ended up lighting a toothpick on fire off of the stove. I then lit a small Glade candle and carried it out with me to my car. Put the candle right in the center console cup holder. Brilliant, right? Hey, no way would I make the 15 minute ride to the gas station to buy another lighter......anyway, I'm riding along pretty impressed with myself for solving the lighter problem when I smell something burning. Yup. you guessed it. I lit my coat sleeve on fire.  :rolleyes: 
 

[Ladybug]

Oh Donna your story made me laugh, I can picture you driving around with a candle in the car......just so that you could smoke...thank you for sharing!

[Donna10]

True story Ladybug....hahaha! It's funny because I was sitting here reading this thread laughing out loud because I've done so many of the things you all had mentioned. Then I thought....oh hey, I should tell them about my candle fiasco.....lol

[Ladybug]

I am glad you did :-)

 

You had me thinking about my "lighter emergencies". I either had 10 lighters around or none. 

 

I remember I tried to light a cigarette with a toaster....it didn't work...but killed the toaster :-)

I went through every drawer in the kitchen trying to find those matches...that I threw out 5 years ago :-)

 

I need to read this often ....I made a total fool out of myself...just because I wanted to smoke! I never want to be this person again

[rww]

All of the above, except for maybe carrying a candle to the car :D

 

But I have lit a candle with the last of the matches I could find so I have a source of fire for the whole day when I didn't want to go to the gas station.

 

I lit my cigs on a gass stoves when I had those.

 

Frantically searching the house, drawers, pockets of every coat and jacket for 1€-2€ coins for the cig machine if the store was too far for me to "survive" - check.

 

 

Going through ashtrays and smoking cig butts - check.

 

Rolling cigs from leftover tobacco in the cigarette butts - checked. If it wasnt totally scorched or wet it was good enough.

 

Telling a pizza boy to bring cigarettes for extra money - check.

 

Asking strangers to buy one or two cigarettes - check. I'd be too embarrassed to just ask, needless to say no one actually took the money. Once in the middle of the night /late evening I was out, everything was closed in the 1h drive radius, the cig machine was out of order and I was "lucky " enough to find a lonely smoker walking the dog. I remember being so joyous when instead of one or two she gave me around ten and insisted on it. It was like Christmas :D

 

Purposely hiding lone cigarettes around the house so I could find them later during one of my frantic searches for change and cigarettes.

 

Oh and the hairdresser thing - check! :D Been outside with follie in my hair, a towel, plain colour, you name it. But it didn't occur to me that I looked utterly ridiculous doing that. Then again, I never cared much what people think, as long as I can justify it to myself.

[rww]

All of that is silly and pathetic of course, but it's not that bad comparing to this one - refusing to do anything that doesn't allow me to smoke or at least smoke often enough.

 

I don't want to even think about what I have missed on during the last ten years because of my smoking obsession /addiction. How many trips to places (I wouldy never agree to a flight longer than two hours and that was already pushing it), no matter the means of transportation, if it wasn't my own "smoking" car it was a no. Visits to movies, restaurants, theater, courses, anything at all that was I indoors and involved extended periods of not smoking. Hobbies or obligations (to myself mostly), not pursued because smoking was a full time job for me and more leaving time for not much else. So many things I can't even count or remember. If I went on like that on 30-40 years when asked what did I do with my life, what have I been up to I'm pretty sure the only thing I would have to say for myself is - "I was a smoker".

[Doreensfree]

All of above......I remember once I bought this lovely nice silk scarf....wore it for about 10 minutes and. Burnt a big hole in it...

When the wind blew it on my cig in my mouth....idiot....

[MarylandQuitter]

I've got a good one, LB.

 

You would think that certain things we encountered as smokers would have sealed the deal and forced us to quit.  Ever heard the old tale that putting a horse hair into a cigarette would surely make anybody quit?  I have one better.

 

I would always save a little water in my water bottle or a little soda in my bottle to put out cigarettes while driving.  You know where this is going but follow me anyway.  As the liquid was absorbed by the cigarette butts, I would keep adding water or whatever I had until my make-shift ashtray was completely full.  A full bottle of fermented nastiness.

 

One night I was driving and I had two diet ginger ale bottles in the side-by-side cupholders in my truck.  One bottle was chock full of tobacco hooch and the other was a fresh, cold bottle of groovy ginger goodness.  I was so thirsty and in my haste, I lost track of which bottle was which.  It was dark.  I grabbed the wrong bottle.  I chugged it.  At first I didn't notice until my throat started to burn (yes, I swallowed it).  And then came the moment the instant after I chugged it that something had gone terribly wrong.  I pulled over and commenced rinsing and spitting far longer than what was needed.

 

I thought for sure I was going to get sick but I didn't.  So what did I do to remedy this FUBAR [1]situation?  Nope, didn't quit smoking and instead lit one up once I finished my 10 minute exorcism.

 

Over the lips through the gums look out tummy here it comes.

 

 

 

Footnotes:

[1] FUBAR is from a Clint Eastwood war movie and a General asked Clint how things were going on the battlefield to which Clint replied, "FUBAR, sir".  The General asked what that meant and Clint said, "****** up beyond all recognition, sir."

[Doreensfree]

Aw MQ. That is gross....

Did have to laugh though as I was reading.....

[Leanna]

I've done that before MQ. We used to always have cans in the car and I would use them to put out my cigarettes. Big mistake. I used to forget which can was which and I'd take a sip of the soggy cigarettes/ashes one. God, that was gross! I can STILL remember the taste.