This is not a discussion, so I have turned off the comments. If you have any comments, tough, keep them to yourself or write them on your own blog.
Let’s get rid of the feel-good crap about quitting smoking right now. “They” tell all about the benefits of quitting smoking, but "They" lie.
This is the second time I have quit smoking (if you only count the times I have quit for more than a couple of days). One time I went smoke-free for 11 months, I have been smoke-free for 7 weeks this time. Both times, I have noticed something strange – all those benefits that I am supposed to reap, I don’t.
This is a list from http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/shouldiquit/a/benefits.htm
- Every breath I take feels so clean and refreshing – bullshit, it feels like breathing the same as always. There is nothing special here.
- I'm not tired during the day...yet I sleep like a rock at night – nope, I’m always tired instead of getting tired at the end of the week.` I quit drinking coffee the last time I quit smoking, but I have started drinking it again just to stay awake when I am at my desk. I also sleep like shit (no change from any other time)
- I have more stamina, endurance, and confidence – Nope not a bit of that, after all, I’m tired all the time and really it’s just willpower (and caffeine) that gets me to the end of the day without taking a long nap.
- More cash in my pocket – I’ll admit that more money stays in the checking account.
- My clothes don't stink - apparently my clothes never stank because non-smokers were always surprised if they saw me smoking and said things like ‘I didn’t know you smoked!” and “Who would have guessed you smoke?”
- I'm not ashamed of smoking anymore – wasn’t ashamed to begin with
- My anxiety level has gone way, way down – my anxiety level was never up. I give anxiety I don’t get anxiety.
- I can breathe! - Never had a problem with that
- I'm working out like a champ – I worked out pretty religiously while I was smoking. Now I am in the worst shape of my life. I am just too tired to do much about it (although I do manage to work out 1 – 2 times per week)
- I am in control of ME – No, the government and my employer are in charge of me. Every once in a while, they let me go and then I can sneak in an hour of being in control of me – but that hasn’t changed.
- No more coughing – never coughed or hacked anyway
- I'm eating better--I used to substitute cigarettes for food a lot – eating the same.
- I can smell again – Don’t smell or taste anything any better than before
- My complexion is much better – mine still sucks and believe me, I would be ecstatic if my complexion was better. Oh, and by the way, some sites claim that smokers wrinkle more and faster except I didn’t have wrinkles – so that’s poppycock.
- My heart feels relaxed...like it can do more work with less effort now – I asked my heart how it feels (you know, share your feeeelings with me) and it stayed mute. Doesn’t seem any different to me
- Less heartburn and indigestion – Alright, there is some truth to this one as far as heartburn goes
- More respect for myself – please, give me a break. Of course, as I stated earlier I was never ashamed of smoking
- No need to worry about attending events where I can't smoke – I never worried anyway (and yes, I attended plenty of events that I couldn’t smoke for hour upon hour – including 5 hour airplane flights, no problem)
- My house smells good! My car smells good! – Nope, they smell like the same old car and homestead – the house still smells like dog (unless the garbage has begun to get ripe) and the car smells like, well, a car.
- No more fear of fire caused by smoking – Another one that is true
- I spend money on my health now, like working out at a health club, instead of on cigs – Nope, paying off the repairs to the bike a little faster though
- My sinus problems are gone! – never had sinus problems
- My allergies and asthma have improved – never had those problems either
- I don't feel like a hypocrite – Never a problem for me
- I can sing again! – I still can’t sing, but that everything to do with tone-deafness and nothing to do with smoking (and yes, I sing in the car and could always hit the high notes and do the long, drawn-out sections in one breath)
- No more time wasted smoking – I now take breaks and read, which means I can lose ½ hour or more very easily instead of the 7 minutes, or less, for a butt
- Whiter teeth – This is true
- Fresh breath – No, I still have to chew gum
- Sharper thinking – Who the hell is she kidding? I can’t remember squat (still)
- Pride in myself – Ooh Boy, loads of that NOT
- No more guilt about exposing family and friends to secondhand smoke – I didn’t before. I smoked outside unless I was around smokers anyway.
- Confidence in my ability to achieve whatever goal I set for myself! – No difference.
Other sites also list:
- Circulation improves / hands and feet become warmer – Damn, I wish – hell, even my nose is cold!
- Increased disease resistance, less colds – I am rarely sick. I certainly have not had any of the myriad of illnesses that my co-workers have had in the year I have worked here (including the bronchial and pneumonial stuff that had almost everyone coughing, hacking, wheezing and missing work – but not me). I rarely even have colds. The sickest portion of my life was during the 11 months that I quit smoking previously. If I start getting sick like that again, I will be seriously pissed off!
Now I know there are health benefits that I can’t see, but out of that list there are a measly 4 items that I can say are true (or were true last time I quit smoking). I think all these lists are made out by non-smokers who are trying to convince smokers that there is a great deal of upside to not smoking (besides the money thing and the heart thing). I can’t believe all the <s>garbage</s> testimonials I have read about how EVERYTHING is so much different and BETTER and their lives have COMPLETELY CHANGED now that they have quit. They sound like infomercials!
Damn, if only a quarter of what they claim were true for me, I would have stayed quit 8 years ago. But no, I feel like shit most the time (although this time I haven’t actually been ill like I was last time, knock on wood).
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