Stagman wrote:I was a smoker for a few years until I quit cold turkey 11 years ago. I had then become an anti smoker but since recent experience* I have decided to tone down a bit. Now I just avoid smokey areas and keep my mouth shut. Smokers won't not smoke due what I have to say - I think they have to experience the bad side** first before doing something about it.

* Spent the better part of this year in hospitals with a rare work related lung disease (with similar effects to what a smoker may get). Thus I have had contact with many lung disease patients and a good portion had their problems due to smoking.

**Bad side is the slow asphyxiating death. I've been there, nearly. Thats right, I nearly died. Doctors gave me two weeks just before adding me to the waiting list for lung transplantation. Luckily I only had to wait 4 days. Having to use all your available energy just to breathe is tiring. No energy left to even eat. Can't walk let alone stand. Trust me, you'd be much better off doing your best preventing the problem in the first place.

Laurens wrote:I have recently given up smoking, I am on the e-cigarettes now, although I'm planning to see how I do without them once my bottle of liquid runs out.

I would say ,however that the main reason I have managed to quit is not having the money to spend on tobacco. When you can't budget for them, quitting the smokes becomes a whole lot easier!

Laurens wrote:I have recently given up smoking, I am on the e-cigarettes now, although I'm planning to see how I do without them once my bottle of liquid runs out.

I would say ,however that the main reason I have managed to quit is not having the money to spend on tobacco. When you can't budget for them, quitting the smokes becomes a whole lot easier!

Keep It Real wrote:I haven't read this thread but just listened to a very informative you and yours phone in on Radio 4. The most salient item for me was a professor or some such saying that the positive correlation between the less-well-off in society and smoking is most likely explained by the fact they have rather miserable lives, relatively speaking. This also jibes with people who have anxiety/depression etc smoking more and finding it harder to quit. My current strategy is to try and cut down. I write down the time of every cigarette I have during the day, when I can, and started with the aim of going at least an hour between them. Up to 3 hours between them now....but of course when I drink I lose my inhibitions/work ethic and smoke like a chimney still, relaxing, cutting loose.