Quit smoking already.

Quit smoking already. So much easier said than done. My kids tell me I don't understand because I don't smoke. That may be true but I have suffered the repercussions. Let me give you a bit of history.

My Mom

She died in 1992 at the age of 51 from Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) directly related to smoking. It didn't help that she had added complications of only having one and a half lungs due to pneumonia when she was 16. Another hurdle was the chemo she was getting for breast cancer. The chemo affected her breathing making it difficult to regulate her oxygen levels. In the end I watched my mother suffocate to death all the while she hung onto her deadly habit.

My Ex-husband

He was almost 47 years old and died this year from lung cancer.  We were together almost thirty years until our separation two years prior to his death and had remained friends. He had just become a grandfather for the second time and was a very involved father and grandfather. He was a wonderful man who was loved by all.  It is such a terrible loss. I still can't believe he is gone. He only lived four months after being diagnosed and all the while he hung onto his deadly habit.

In recent years we have seen smoking banned from public places. Many homes are now smoke free and in some areas it is even banned to smoke when children are in the car. Initially these changes were met with a lot of resistance but have now become widely accepted. I remember being a minority non-smoker in so many crowded smoke filled environments. It would seem we have come a long way in habit, knowledge and public opinion for seeing smoking as it really is.

Unbelievably to me with all they have lost, both my daughters smoke and one has asthma. They say they want to quit smoking and are trying. So yes, I feel even though I am a non-smoker which is probably due to listening to my mother cough, I have the right and want to scream quit smoking already.

It certainly does no good to nag, beg or plead a smoker to quit smoking. Believe me, I've tried but I have to get it off my chest one last time and then leave it be. I know the decision to quit lies with the smoker alone when he or she is ready and it may be the hardest undertaking ever made. It may also be the most rewarding.

Its never too late for a kissable fresh mouth.

Besides the most obvious financial and health benefits. You may also realize many other unexpected benefits. For instance, you will smell better. You might not think you stink but, yes, you do. You will have more opportunities to find a partner with added benefits of kissing a fresh mouth and energy from healthy lungs.

Smoking is not a bad habit. Riding a motorcycle without a motorcycle helmet is a bad habit. Smoking is an addiction. As Alan Carr points out in the video below, you may have made the choice to have the first cigarette but it was not a conscious choice thereafter. There are many reasons to quit smoking and many ways. It's never too late and if at first you don't succeed, keep at it until you find the method that works for you. It's easier for some than others to know when the time is right. My father quit cold turkey. He just decided he didn't want to do it anymore and quit then had to watch as smoking took my mother to her grave.

Find a support group either in your area or online. For additional resources I have put a link on the side to the lung association. Surround yourself with the right people in an environment that will encourage success.

I will butt out now. Good luck.

Check out this hub by Terrapanthera. It will guide you to a free and easy technique to relieve stress and balance emotions for an easier road to quit smoking and provide additional health benefits. Also, this hub by ladyjane1 will remind you of how glamorized smoking was with a look at vintage cigarette ads reminiscent of the past.