Active Low-Carber Forums - View Single Post - An Interesting Story about quitting

I quit smoking almost 2 years ago and I remember something that I found to be rather outstanding as an issue in regards to smoking in general. I was maybe 2 weeks into my no smoking regimen and I was at work in my office around 9 am. All my co-workers were going out for their morning smoke and naturally since most of them are first class pricks they invited me, even though they knew I had quit. God love them!

Anyhow at that stage I really thought I needed some help. I had quit cold turkey not because I thought it was a good idea but rather since I had to. I was 32 and had problems breathing. I am a relatively smart individual and I guess it took me only 10 years of smoking to realize that… inhaling smoke = hard laborious breathing and hence quitting should improve the situation. I swear that Atomic Energy of Canada should hire just based on that brilliant statement – I am a freaking genius!

In any case I needed more confirmation to strengthen my resolve and thus I called a hotline. To this day I think it was the antismoking hotline for the Cancer Society but I am not sure. I guess I just wanted to talk to a someone with vast experience on this subject and could maybe talk me down from the precipitous perch I was standing on.

After talking to the young lady on the phone I swear I wanted to smoke more then than I ever did before the call -- and heck have a donut while I was at it. Nothing she said was what I should have heard. Obviously in distress and wavering in my commitment and determination, I had asked her to give me some good reasons for quitting smoking (not that I did not know them already but I just needed to hear them).

The agent politely informed me of the following advantages of remaining smoke free:
1) That you can now save almost 200$ a month by not smoking.
2) Also your smile will be much brighter with whiter teeth.
3) Also you wont smell as much nor will your hair or clothes or home
4) Proven sexual performance increase

Now here’s the clincher.. NOTHING of what she said or proposed had to do with health. This was the Cancer Society right that I had called??? I had dialled the right number or had I called Phillip Morris by mistake? What really blew me away was the fact that these 4 reasons to quit smoking were the ones that actually worked for many. Truly a sad day in nonsmokersville. Moreover she informed me that telling someone you will be healthier and possibly live a longer and happier life is not good enough. Studies tell us these are the main reasons or drawbacks to smoking and thus these are the ones pushed. Sigh.

As long as anyone uses these deterrents to want to quit smoking, I believe that individuals will fail. These issues are not strong enough to make people want to quit. Anyhow maybe I am totally off base -- heck wouldn't be the first time.

I remember that what helped me was an article in Time magazine where doctors and heart surgeons stated that quitting smoking today instantly reduces your chance of a heart attack or stroke by 30%!!! Also losing 10% of your bodyweight if overweight would have a similar benefit. That’s all I had to hear oh apart from my "small" breathing problem. Something rather simple like that. Too bad we have to play with money, looks, smelly clothes and the promise of better sex to try to get folks to quit. Argh