Heinz, Hard to believe as I type this but I used to smoke circa 60 a day....Jeez..!!! I was in my early 20`s.
I did a great deal of driving back then, 60k miles in my busiest year, and one of my lungs developed a hole... rather painful as air got into places where air is not supposed to be... On a visit to the hospital, sitting in a corridor with other folk who seemed to try to hold on to every breath before exhaling and all making similar noises... There was a poor chap lying on a trolley wearing a mask with an oxygen bottle lying alongside, at least he was breathing normally.... listening to all these folk struggling with their breathing was driving me nuts.. I told the receptionist I needed to get out of there for a few minutes.... for a smoke..!!!
When in with the doctor I related my experience in the corridor, he told me that they were all there breathing that way as the result of smoking, and the chap with the oxygen bottle had come in for a simple operation his recovery complicated as the result of him being a smoker...!!!
Logically I decided to give up Smoking, I knew it would not be easy.... so set about altering my perception of the habit, by looking at the filthy mess it left behind, in ash trays and the roof lining in my car, on my fingers on my clothes which had the aroma of a smoker, the probable smell of my breath, the stain on my fingers..... Smoking is a FILTHY habit..?
At the time of stopping the cost implications were also considered... I ran an old car at the time, and worked out how much I spent on smoking per month, and took on credit to buy a more modern car, which I could not otherwise afford...Also having something solid to show for not smoking helped somewhat too..
Well it worked for me, I used Polo Mints as a substitute initially which helped me cut down drastically, but did my teeth no good whatsoever... until After a month or so I had stopped, though occasionally bought a pack and smoked one or two over a period of days till I cut it out all together....
I used to live in a block of flats, and one day I had run up the stairs, stopped at the door to find my key and felt strange.... I thought about it and the strange feeling was that I was not breathing heavily as I used to do when as a smoker I had run up the stairs..!!
I had friends one of whom was a medical professional and was on call out duties. While dining with them there was a phone call from the hospital with a request for the person in question to perform some sort of lab service.... the question was asked is the patient a smoker..? The answer given, the reply was that the task can wait till tomorrow when the friend would be on normal duty....!
There is a price to be paid for all our bad habits I am afraid, but then that is life is it not..?
Best of luck with your choices.
