Question for reformed smokers

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  • Melaniec78
    Melaniec78 Posts: 259 Member
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    Oh my, oh my, how many times I have craved a cigarette to ease my day-to-day struggles. One time I even (after a few glasses of wine) asked my smoking friend to leave a cigarette behind "just in case" (thank God I did not cave!)

    My main reason for not EVER wanting to be a SMOKER again is because it is such an addiction. For example if I suffice my craving with that cigarette to stop the stress in my life what will stop me from having another craving and then another cigarette? It is a mindless, endless circle. If I bought a pack, and smoked one cigarette they would LITERALLY call me from my purse and I would start all over again.
    ^^^^ This is the reason I have been unsuccesful in the past and I am trying to remind myself one always leads to the next!! Thanks for sharing that reminder!!
  • ToFit130
    ToFit130 Posts: 4
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    After many years of smoking what was probably at least half a pack a day, if not more, my Grandpa was forced to quit when he was hospitalized for an unrelated condition. It wasn't a pleasant experience for him, I don't think, and probably explains why we never got him to quit, or even seriously attempt to quit, before that. However, after the hospitalization, he did NOT start smoking again. He recognized the benefits of this smoke-free opportunity and has managed to stay smoke free for a number of years since.

    About a year after he stopped smoking, he confessed that the smell of cigarettes or even a fellow smoker, was enough to make him crave a smoke again. This was also news in that he now could smell smokers. Before, when he was a smoker, he didn't notice the smell. He is pleased with how much easier it is to breathe now, and that awful cough he once had, is rarely heard now.

    He knew if he caved to the craving he'd never give it up again, so he has never caved. We do our best to limit his exposure to the smell of the tempting cancer-sticks, so that helps. I don't think he'll ever be rid of the cravings for it though, because even a year after he stopped smoking he told us that if he knew, for certain that he was going to die in a day or in a week, he'd light up a new pack of smokes without hesitation, they're just that "good". But, despite that, he's glad he doesn't smoke now. For one, it makes Grandma happier because she doesn't have to watch him sit outside in all sorts of weather creating a noxious cloud of smoke every day (she never let him smoke inside). And for two, he seems younger now that he can breathe easier.

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