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This infamous quote by Mark Twain is true for thousands of people who try to quit. What has been your experience with quitting smoking, or reducing the quantity you smoke?
I smoked as a child until I finally left home for college. Before you start calling DFS on my parents retroactively, let me explain. I grew up with a smoker in the house. I know it affected my health tremendously. I have allergies, and every time I get a cold, it turns into bronchitis and I get asthmatic. I am considered the "'pain in the ass" as my Dad says, because among other stories, the time my family all came to visit me, and I presented the smokers (my Dad, brother and sister) with a book from the American Lung Association, "Seven Steps to A Smoke-free Life."
August 12, 2010 - 10:31amI am vigilant, but only because I love my family. I also believe that if you have a problem, you need to attack it with everything you've got until it's not a problem anymore. Life is too short to waste time ruining your health needlessly. In most cases, your family wants you around for the long haul and wants you to be as healthy as you can be.
It was easy enough for me to quit smoking, I moved away. But for people like my mom, moving away is not an option. She has lived with a smoker for 45 years, and it pains me to think of how it has impacted her health.
This weekend my family is heading to my hometown to visit my parents. My dad was in the hospital earlier this summer with pneumonia. He has a heart condition, and has had a valve replacement and bypass surgery. The last time I saw him, just before he went into the hospital, I got on his case about quitting smoking. Part of me says, "He's older, let him be, it's his life." The other part says, "It's stupid, he's hurting himself and Mom by continuing to smoke, he should quit." I don't know if he quit after his stay in the hospital, I haven't asked, because I assume he is smoking again. Still, I'm afraid of my reaction when I see he's still smoking. I have a small hope he did quit. A small one.
So long story short, I commend anyone who tries to quit. Quit every day if you have to, until it sticks.
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