Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Stopping Smoking - so how am I getting on?

So I understand that I haven't given anything up by stopping smoking. I have simply stopped doing something that was stupid, expensive and injurious to my health. Following my decision to give up on Sunday night I have started to read Allen Carr's famous book "Easy Way To Stop Smoking". It is actually designed to be read by someone who is still smoking, but it is still very helpful if you are using it to reinforce your commitment to stop. In a sense, the opening sentence of this paragraph summarises Carr's point. But it is far cleverer and useful than that pithy sound bite. I am stunned by how much of his analyses directly corresponds to my experience. The guy is clearly quite full of himself but he really does has a lot of understanding.

Likewise, I have also watched the excellent Russell Crow/Al Pacino film The Insider which shows the utter contempt the Tobacco industry has for it's customers and human life. They see cigarettes as a nicotine delivery system and clearly suppressed the evidence that Tobacco causes so many serious health problems like lung cancer, heart problems, circulation and such stuff. And they still try the "we aren't trying to encourage new people to smoke - we are just trying to persuade people to swap brand" bullshit. Excuse my French, but they are cynical lying murdering bastards. Now that they are seeing the western world is starting to reject their evil poison they are focusing on the third world. How low can you go? So Bob Geldoff gets their debt dropped and they spend it all on fags! Hmmm.

And yet, even understanding all of this and having only been off the smokes for 3 days I am starting to get cravings. I went to the pub quiz yesterday evening and it was no problems sitting in the no smoking area and quaffing ale without feeling bad. But today despite all the above I still feel like lighting up. I have gone the hardcore route and haven't bothered with patches or Nicotine gum since it seems a bit illogical to try and give up nicotine by taking nicotine. Still, I suppose it was nieve of me to think that breaking a 25 year habit would be pain less.

Also, I should say thanks to those who have offered congratulations and encouragement, both on this web log and in the real world. It is both much appreciated but also very helpful since it would make me feel so bad if I were to go back to my stupid smoking ways. It has been often been observed that ex Smokers are by far the most vocal when criticising smokers and I am planning on joining them if for nothing else but to make it untenable and embarrassing to slide back into the filthy habit.

1 comment:

Tony C said...

Go for it fella and good luck.