QUIT SMOKING, FOR LOVE'S SAKE!
Most men, confronted by the threat of being separated from their wives and children, siblings or parents for good, would do anything for that not to happen. They would lie, steal and kill for these people; such is their love, loyalty and devotion. Why, then, would these heroes- fathers, brothers and sisters and sons wish on themselves a slow and painful death by smoking? Why not stop, in order to live longer?
Joe, a forty- two year old man who started smoking at eighteen, summed it up; "As the father of a ten-year old boy, I would give anything to be at his side through life, watch him get married and start a family of his own. My smoking habit destroys my body and my dream to see him through life. That's why I decided to stop. Love and devotion did it". Like Joe, most people quit smoking this way. They put other's needs before their own. They feel guilty every time they light up. With time, they are successfully able to get rid of the habit.
A huge percentage gives up smoking for their spouses. A smoker's partner undoubtedly suffers the most exposure to the vice. Young people wishing to marry today are increasingly asking for non-smoking companions. A young woman will reject a suitor she genuinely loves (who smokes) and end up marrying a non-smoker she doesn't love as much.
Jill, 48 and a nurse at a top New York hospice, always fights with her son, Julian, over his smoking habit. He is a respectful and obedient son, and cannot understand what the fuss is all about. The young man interprets this as her mother's attempt to control his life, and is resentful. Jill's only motive here is love. She cannot imagine life without her son, who she has raised singlehandedly. Her job involves taking care of cancer patients living out their last days in excruciating pain. She sees her son's smoking as a willful attempt to commit suicide, albeit slowly. Julian loves his mother too, and has begun to realize how much he has been hurting her, and is willing to stop if only to show her mother how much he cares for her.
Most people are unable to completely commit themselves to quitting smoking because the consequences are mostly not immediate. For the lucky, one is able to live for years without any sign that the daily abuse is taking its toll on one's internal organs. They only think of quitting when the pain starts. By then, it's probably too late. They wish they had listened to their loved ones and acted on their advice.
Quitting smoking is one of the most difficult things to do, almost as hard as quitting drinking. However, unlike alcohol, a smoker is able to discharge his duties effectively, and exhibits no anti-social behavior. This makes it difficult for an employer, for example, to censure an employee who smokes. Love and support from family and friends has been found to work where other methods have failed.
Many people are unaware of the exact damage caused by cigarette smoke to their bodies. The lucky stop. The rest need all the help they can get, especially from family and friends.
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