“Meet my old man”, is a phrase I only hear in Hollywood movies. Translated word for word into Filipino, it should sound like, “Eto, matandang lalaki ko.” – which has a weird meaning, is quite awkward and disrespectful in our culture. That’s why the appropriate translation is “Eto po ang aking ama.” Read more
Arsenic kills if you swallow it. Tobacco kills if you inhale it.
Cough! Cough! Are you inhaling your last breath
Remember, if you're smoking, you can pack up your health. If you're not smoking, you are backing up your health. Smokers are now funneled into a zoo-like partition from the rest of society. But still, they continue with it. People get addicted to tobacco products because they contain nicotine, which is again an addictive substance.
Smoking is one of the worst things that you can do to your body. When you started smoking for the first time, (often just to look cool), you likely went into coughing it. You know why? Because your body was warning you to stop now, because you were feeding it with poisons. The lucky ones, who understood the warning, stopped it there and then. But others continued with it. They are not getting the point that they are forcing their body to inhale poison. They don’t even realize the harm they are causing to their bodies.
Nicotine resembles a catalyst. It keeps your mind confused on the real problem here: brainwashing. The chemical addiction of cigarettes can be easy to cope with. But brainwashing is tough to cope with. You are brainwashed to an extent when you are addicted to big tobacco. You find yourself attracted to the colorful advertisements to some degree, but you are not able to see that each and every packet of cigarettes has a little quote always written on it’s packet: “Smoking is harmful for your health.”
Cigarette are a most harmful substance, and inhaling that substance could lead directly to your last breath. Why begin the countdown to the end of your precious life? Why didn't you follow the "Be smart. Don't start," advice?
A bunch of words can’t always change young minds. Its tough to achieve it all alone. You may need different types of supports, may be through counseling or a prescribing medication. “Please keep smoking, our planet is overcrowded.” Don’t let such sayings come true. It’s all in your hands.
To stop smoking:
Do smokers really take our warnings seriously given the plethora of platitudes flooding our daily language, the media, or our Facebook! It seems that there is always someone out there seeking to make a smart remark, but very few people care! Read more
I smoked as a teen. It was more an act of rebellion than anything else, but I liked it as a social device, as well. If you saw a cute guy, you could always ask him for a light to break the tension. You could smoke with your friends, too.
When my grandfather was diagnosed with lung cancer, I decided to quit. He was a pack a day smoker for most of his 80 years and I knew I could easily end up just like him. And so I dropped the cigarettes.
The problem is that I have a very addictive personality. If you give me one smoke, I’ll take the pack. It’s one of the issues that has also led to weight problems for me. So, when I decided to give up smoking, I knew there was no way I was going to make it if I tried to gradually work down to zero. Going cold turkey was the only way to go for me. It was certainly not easy, but it was necessary.
At the age of 21, I tossed my last pack in the garbage, fought my desire to pull it right back out and finish it up, and I walked away. The first few days were the worst. I was jittery and constantly reaching for the smokes that weren’t there anymore.
I stayed far away from my smoking friends and I basically holed up in my room when I wasn’t at work. It wasn’t fun, but in the end, I got through it. The desire to smoke didn’t go away though, for a long time. Even now, nearly 20 years later, I still want to smoke sometimes! The trick is to make the decision each minute of each day. “I’m not going to smoke.”
Distraction helped a lot, too. I spent a lot of time reading or watching TV to keep my mind off things. However, since I quit cold turkey, I’ve had one cigarette in nearly all those 20 years. Not too bad, I think! I can proudly say that my children will not be subjected to second hand smoke and that makes it all very worth it.
Most everyone knows that smokers live shorter lives, an average of 8 years shorter. But have you ever thought about how much time smoking takes up during your life? We live in a "time is money" culture. Not that that's how it should be, but people often put that kind of value on time…and wish they had more of it. A smoker might not even realize how much valuable time is taken up by this habit.
There's the mental energy and time wasted by thinking about when you'll be able to take a break, or step outside, or go for a drive, to have that smoke. There's the time spent worrying about the harm it's doing to you (and possibly to others you love). There's the time spent driving to the convenience store to buy smokes, or driving around to find a place to buy them, or thinking about where to buy them. Time wasted making sure one has matches, lighters, and cigs, and maybe something to drink with it or something to ash in.
Then there's the time wasted by the smoker that the non-smoker doesn't even have to worry about, such as the extra time it takes to heal from a cold or recover from an illness, because smokers take longer to get well after being ill, not to mention the extra time it takes to catch up at work because of being sick longer. There's more time spent at doctor's visits talking about smoking problems, and more time spent going to doctors due to more illness, and that's just when facing run-of-the-mill illnesses, we're not even talking yet about the time spent dealing with serious illnesses that can occur after years of heavy smoking such as cancer, emphysema, or loss of limbs, for example. There's also the extra time the smoker needs to sleep, to make up for the poor sleep s/he gets, since smoking affects sleep negatively.
There's the time spent cleaning up from the habit–cleaning ash trays, throwing away empty packs, more house cleaning if you actually look at the fact of the gray film and odor that smoking leaves on the walls, furniture, and every object in the home if smoking occurs inside.
Finally, there's the time spent actually smoking. It all adds up to a big fat waste of time. Your life is too precious, and time on this Earth too short and special, to waste one more moment of it on this addictive drug. Take the first step, do whatever you can, or keep doing what you are doing, to free yourself from the clutches of this time-sucking addiction.
Three days ago:
So I was on this plane taking me from Dakar to Istanbul, an 11 hour flight, cramped in a unbelievably small seat. I was flanked by two stern -looking middle aged guys. How in the world is my time going to go by?.. I had stomach cramps all afternoon just before getting on the plane. No doubt, it was in anticipation of this trip. It was the anxiety of someone who was going to be confined, deprived… Stress, stress, stress, cramps, cramps, cramps. All afternoon, it was the same symptoms any addict would have before involuntary rehab. Read more
The first time I smoked, I was a rebel, angry and stupid.
Whew, it felt weird writing that first sentence, but yes, it's true.
I smoked not because of peer pressure, but maybe because of a little bit of subliminal marketing from television ads. Okay, it was a lot. I don't blame my dad even though he was a chain smoker. He often smoked two to three packs of Phillip Morris a day. (May he rest in peace). For all that has been said and done, I made that dumb decision myself.
Mostly, what brought me to that moment, to that decision, was a mixture of runaway emotions that are quite normal for rebellious and hormone infused teenagers. I was a curious, confused and hormone laden boy monkey.
When I think about it today, I recall that moment of planning, of figuring out where to buy, how much they cost, where to smoke, and what brand. In hindsight these were pretty, pretty stupid and trivial matters, since I was caught!
Now, that was not part of the plan!
The brand that I chose was Philip Morris, the green menthol ones which are longer than Marlboros and quite cheaper. Why? Because I saw them a lot at home. I thought to myself: I'm going to start with something familiar. Besides, they were affordable at 20 pesos for a pack of 20. This was in the late 90s, so that was about 50 US cents a pack! The thought of stealing from my father's cigarette pack also crossed my mind, but I knew I'd get caught.
The first problem to overcome was where to buy them. We lived in a middle class subdivision in the Philippines and I was quite naive. (Okay, very naive.) I was thinking quite falsely and innocently
So I came up with the insidious idea to say, "Somebody asked me to buy it for them"
In my mind, I was reciting to myself an imaginary dialogue with my targeted store.
As naive as the dialogue now sounds, that was my way of thinking about it then.
To my surprise, it was actually easier.
Nobody cared what you bought. Nobody asked any questions. None.
So right after school, I bought a pack quite easily and also bought a lighter. Now the trick was to smoke when my parents were out of the house. That day, all of my plans seemed to be working out all right. Dad was not yet home, mom was shopping. So, I climbed on top of our water tank, which was as high as the roof of our two story house.
The view was awesome.
It was like playing with Google Earth for the first time. I saw nearby cities and houses and neighbors' houses I hadn't yet met. I felt the power of the wind move my body gently. It was like a gentle nudge from an invisible force.
I am afraid of heights. Climbing that tower felt exciting and exhilirating. The throbbing in my chest felt stronger. Bright yellow and red imaginary exclamation points were popping up everytime I moved my arms or legs. It was a new, unknown and exciting feeling.
After I soaked all of the new sensory inputs in, I sat down and got the cigarettes.
You see, as stupid as I may have been at the time, at least I had the sense to think that smoke flies outwards and upwards. If I stayed on top of the water tank, I somehow felt that nobody would smell it at all.
So I did this several times, timing whenever my parents were out.
Finally, I got caught.
Yes, the smoke does flow upward and outward, but the smell stuck to my clothes! As soon as my mother caught me, she told me to go down the water tank, like, "Danny !%!%! Go down the water tank!"
A new type of exciting feeling came over me, but this time, it wasn't awe or that feeling of danger. It was fear!
"So, you want to smoke? Do you even have a job?" (I was a teenager)
No.
"This is what we give you money for?"
No. Sorry.
"Give me your pack of cigarettes."
I don't have any. I lied.
"What do you take me for, they're in your pockets. See, it's bulging!"
Sorry. Here.
"Now you want to be a big man?"
No.
"Here smoke them all at the same time!"
I shook my head.
Then my mom, tore all up the cigarettes like they were pieces of paper.
Brown and white pieces scattered on the floor just beneath the base of the water tower. At the time, I was thinking, "What a waste."
"Clean them up."
I did.
Cigarette smoking is a deadly habit and should be the first thing that we should try to quit. But being an ex-smoker myself, I know we find reasons to delay giving up the habit thinking that we will give it up before we've done any damage, but in most cases long term damage is already done. Here are some of the top reasons to give up smoking and lead a healthier life.
Heart Disease or Stroke
Research has proven that smokers are four times more likely to develop heart disease than non smokers. In terms of stroke the numbers are also terrifying with smokers twice as likely to have a stroke than non smokers. These numbers should help you convince giving up smoking for good.
Lung cancer
The numbers for lung cancer are equally horrifying, the chances of smokers getting lung cancer are 23 times more for men and 13 times more for women than non smokers. Apart from lung cancer smokers are exposed to chronic obstructive lung disease 13 times more than non smokers.
Better Health
Leaving smoking has a great affect in your overall health, your lung capacity increases, you will have a stronger immune system which means that you will have less colds, coughs and ear infections. You will also have better energy and will be able to do your day to day functions with ease.
Better Outlook
Smoking causes damage to the skin and wrinkles so if the diseases don't scare you, do it for vanities sake. You will also have better smelling clothes and shinier teeth.
There are a million reasons to giving up smoking and its up to you to pick the reason and give up the habit for good.
With nerves frayed and a shaking yearning to get out of the constricted workspace, you wait until the clock strikes 12.
You finger your pockets just to check whether your lighter or pack of Marlboro lights Gold is still there.
“Just a few more seconds…” you mutter to yourself while watching the red hand of that clock in front of you make its arduous journey to the number 12.
You automatically swallow and your fingers shake as you discover that the pack inside your pocket is actually empty. You loosen your tie a bit as you think about the nearest place you could buy cigarettes. Read more
Smoking is not a habit and it does not exist. The real reason you continue to smoke is to feed the little nicotine monster inside your stomach. The nicotine in your body has to be fed regularly. You the smoker decide when to feed this monster. Normally when you smoke it is on four types of occasions or a combination of occasions. Read more