As an ex-smoker, who quit cold turkey with a little help from Allen Carr’s ‘The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, I hate when people say ‘once a smoker always a smoker’, and ‘you’ll always be a smoker because the craving never goes away’ or ‘I wouldn’t say you were a non-smoker because what if you do start to smoke again – then you’ll be a hypocrite’. ALL BULLSHIT
I stopped smoking in order to become a non-smoker and I don’t intend to smoke again and if I do (which I highly doubt) until that time I will be a non-smoker or an ex-smoker. It just doesn’t make sense to say that I am a smoker when I don’t smoke! Especially after making the concious decision not to.
I also hate it when people make a big fuss about wanting to stop then do the whole build up to quitting repeatedly in public yet repeatedly go back to smoking. Frankly it gets boring. Make the concious decision to quit when, and only when you are ready and stick to it. It’s really not as hard as people make quitting smoking out to be. Not if you’re truly ready – and if there is any doubt that you are then don’t stop never mind announcing to everyone that you’re stopping. It’s setting yourself up for failure! And I think all this ‘oh but it’s different for everyone -not everyone find it so easy’ is also BULLSHIT. We’re all human, we all have freewill and willpower (admittedly some people have more than others) but stopping smoking, (although, yes nicotine is addictive) is not nearly as bad as addicts coming off heroin or alcoholics getting on the wagon. We all have the same biology/anatomy therefore why should it be harder for some people than others? And don’t give me this ‘addictive personalities’ shit either because I was previously addicted to other things besides nicotine.
Finally I hate smokers who can’t stand ex-smokers getting all ‘high & mighty’. Why shouldn’t I? I made the effort to stop, I have a right to my opinion and if anything, I have more right to my opinion than someone who has never smoked because I’ve been there. I don’t put pressure on those who still smoke to quit, I just share my experience & my opinions about the misconceptions there are about how hard it is to quit. If this offends anyone or reveals some harsh truths one would rather not face – WHO CARES?!
I am a happy & healthy non-smoker