Coffin Nails

I used to smoke. A pack and a half a day habit. I knew it was not a good thing to do, but a habit is hard to break, as I had stopped temporarily 3 or 4 times. I had not quit, despite stopping for a good 6 months once. My uncle-in-law told me he quit for four years then started again. I simply said, 'You didn't quit, you just stopped temporarily'. When you quit, it is for good. I haven't smoked a cigarette in 20 years. Unless I start again before I die, chances are that I have quit; otherwise, I would have just stopped temporarily. Yes, everyone used to say it looks cool, especially when you're a young teenager or even a young adult, but the fact of the matter, it looks pretty stupid. ('Stupid is as stupid does' doesn't apply here.) The 'looking cool' doesn't cut it any more. The 'It calms my nerves' excuse is bullshit. I know people who have all kinds of weird ailments, and will flat out deny that any of it has to do with cigarette smoking. I'm no doctor, but common sense should tell you that you probably wouldn't have those kind of ailments if you weren't a smoker. Smokers are like people who have bad body odor. We walk away from them. (Yes, there is good body odor, but we rarely use the word 'odor' to describe them. They just smell good.)

I believe I helped my brother quit his 20-year smoking habit, although he may not admit to it. I told him that someone I worked with died of a heart attack, a smoker who I thought was 10 years older than me because he looked it, but who was actually 4 years younger than me. Other co-workers vowed to quit after this one's death. I decided to evoke his intelligence. I told him that those co-workers were not going to quit, because they were losers and wouldn't be able to. I know my brother, and told him 'You're not a loser. You have more will power than I ever had'. Anyway, a month later he told me he quit cold turkey, and to my knowledge has not smoked since some 8 years later. I was right. His will power is much stronger than mine. He could even be around smokers without wanting to light up himself. His wife still smokes. I didn't quit cold the first time I stopped. About the fifth time, I did, but I had to self-hypnotize myself. I actually stopped myself from thinking about cigarettes. If one popped into my head, I erased it immediately. Eventually, I had no desire for one. I guess I hypnotized myself to disassociate cigarettes from my life. Don't underestimate the power of suggestion.

Perception is what smoking is all about; perception of yourself and how you want others to see you. What most smokers usually fail to see is others' actual perception of you. I just look at smokers, and say to myself, 'How smart can that person really be?' Not meaning cognitive intelligence, but emotional intelligence. There are no physical or psychological positives associated with smoking, and you can't convince me otherwise. There is nothing to "miss".

Ok, I'm off of my soap box ... do whatever you want. It's your life. Who the hell am I anyway? I have no right to say anything. I'll shut up now. Don't get me started, Missie!