Blocked ears

[FairyCrystal]

Peculiar smokers got mentioned.

I've been a smoker since I was 14 and trying to become a non-smoker.
That's how I discovered how incredibly difficult it is to do that. It's a serious addiction and in that sense totally absurd that it was ever allowed to enter our society.

Before judging smokers you got to take into account the fact that it was introduced as being cool & macho to smoke (at first mostly men smoked).
Later on women picked up the habit too.
It was encouraged with advertising and social conditioning to become a smoker.

When going to watch a movie in theatre you had commercials before the movie started and the best, most expensive and longest ones were from a specific tobacco brand. Showing glorious landscape in the US, a to-die for sexy man on a horse in cowboy boots and tight jeans, pausing to roll a cigarette (of said brand).
Everyone Ooh-ing and Aah-ing and drooling over the sight of the hunk of a man, at the same time subconsciously registering the message:
Smoking is cool! Smoking makes you attractive!

This went on for decades, it's what a couple of generations grew up with. It wasn't abhorred, nor regarded unhealthy. You were encouraged to do it and you were deemed odd, anti-social, unattractive if you didn't.

At both elementary and secondary school teachers smoked in the classrooms. I clearly remember when this became illegal, I was 15 at the time.
But it had been normal, no one questioned it.

When going on long airplane flights to Indonesia around 1985... you could smoke on the plane. There were ashtrays in the arm rests, and often people gathered in the back to smoke whilst having a chat with others as well.
People smoked everywhere, it was normal. No one questioned it.

Later on they anti-smoking dynamic began and they created special places at the work where you could smoke. Usually a smaller room, away from non-smokers so they could stay healthy.
But... almost everyone took their break in the smokers room!! There were loads of non-smokers in there as it was the best place to socialise, have a chat, enjoy your break, hang out with colleagues.

It escalated from there to where smokers have almost become outcasts.
But if you understand how this society of smokers came to be, then maybe you wouldn't be so judgemental of smokers.
In a way you can say that government created addicts, encouraged it even. Why I don't know. Because of the money they made of it?

Then to call smokers hypocritical... Many like me grew up with smoking being the done thing, being cool, attractive, sexy even.
I remember images of a seductive woman like Marilyn Monroe (not necessarily her but like her) smoking a thin long cigarette, holding it between manicured fingers, casting a sultry glance, putting the cig between full beautifully coloured lips and blowing out smoke, making it feel like a sexual act.
What young girl or woman wouldn't want to be like that?!?! Everyone!

Now that we've been made into long-term addicts we're judged.
It's so hard to get over that addiction! I've been trying for over 2 years now, with patches, and every time I fail.
Some people -esp non-smokers- think too lightly about quitting, I did too. It's so difficult! It's only recently that I've come to realise it's at the same level of letting go of hard drugs. Speed or maybe even heroine?
A form of hard drugs that's been encouraged, promoted, beautified, and sexi-fied for about a century!!

To finish.... why can't people who do something that was normal for almost a hundred years not be concerned about their health?
It may seem contradictory now, but as I illustrated smoking was never deemed unhealthy...

[Redchic12]

Well FairC. I totally get we’re your coming from and you have expressed it extremely well. Yes I started smoking for the exact same reasons and have tried everything under the sun, patches, books, mouth sprays, tablets…..the lot! I actually succeeded for a few years when I was competing then slowly went back to it. I’m in my seventies now, still smoking, although not a lot and you know, I couldn’t care less about it anymore, cos I’ve had an awesome life, been everywhere, done everything, achieved everything I wanted, and had no major health issues ever. I’ve only been in hospital twice to have two babies and apart from the usual cold I’ve never been ill and still not.

What is quite funny is that I live in an “over 55s” complex where other women all in their sixties and seventies are complaining about their hip replacement, arthritic limbs, heart problems, knee problems, blood pressure problems and they’re in and out of hospital and here I am the only one who doesn’t have any health issues, and I’m the only smoker. So it makes ya wonder doesn’t it.

Yeah I know I’m gonna have lots of comments coming back to me on this one but ive heard it all before and tbh I couldn’t care less what other people think about me. Life’s too short for that.
When my number is up, it’s up, and I will leave with a smile on my face and feeling like a happy little bunny!

Just for the record…….heroin is easier to come, off than nicotine. Fact.

[FairyCrystal]

Seriously, heroine easier to come off of than nicotine??? Wowza...

I too have very strong beliefs that there are pros to smoking.
For instance, when I quit at 30-ish I suddenly got one sinus infection after the other. It was an ongoing, non-stop phase of feeling ill, brain fog, antibiotics.
I think it settled after about a year, and I stayed off the smokes for 3 yrs.
Then ended up in hospital and boredom got me back to smoking. Have been smoking since, now 57.

I addressed it with my GP, that smoking not only kills good stuff maybe, but also the bad stuff (cold viruses and whatnot).
He agreed! (he was a classic homeopath and GP so both worlds combined. Best GP I've ever had!)

Also when the pandemic hit I felt I better not quit smoking just yet.
I was considering it at the time, but I had a very strong intuitive feeling that if I kept smoking I'd be fine.
And I have been fine. I didn't want Big Pharma poison in my body, so I'm still natural and never regretted that decision. Only heard tons of stories of people that got serious illnesses and ailments because of it.
But back to smoking...
I'm still convinced to date that smoking got me through the pandemic unscathed. No doctor would ever be able to convince me of the opposite. I'm seriously almost 100% certain.

Also, people always ask me how I keep looking so young. And I can honestly say that I have way less wrinkles and better skin than many people a decade (or more) younger!!
I always reply, "Drink lots and lots of coffee and smoke like a chimney!" Works for me, hahaha.

That's not to say that smoking is healthy of course, hihi.
I did get fed up with being short of breath, my lungs aching, coughing, smelling of nicotine, my house too, etc. etc. which is why I decided I wanted to quit.
I'm 57 now, I want to make it into old age while feeling & being healthy.
My body is quite acidified, I've known this from years from alternative therapists. Smoking doesn't help that.

And you know, I actually enjoyed not stinking of smoke anymore, hihi. And my house smelling fresh and clean! I loved that.
When I walk into my mum's home it's like hitting a nicotine wall. Awful!
It helped me decide I don't want my house to smell that way any longer.
Nor do I want to wake up in the morning and have this smoker's mouth.
I did smoke a lot, mind you. 30 a day at least!
Costing me a fortune as well.

Yet, it remains difficult...
Fingers crossed I will succeed!

[Redchic12]

Ok here’s what I found out about Covid and nicotine.

Covid uses the nicotine receptors to infect healthy cells…..nicotine prevents the spike protein penetrating the cells. Scientists have had great success treating “ “long covid” using nicotine patches for 6 days.

[FairyCrystal]

Originally Posted by Redchic12

Ok here’s what I found out about Covid and nicotine.

Covid uses the nicotine receptors to infect healthy cells…..nicotine prevents the spike protein penetrating the cells. Scientists have had great success treating “ “long covid” using nicotine patches for 6 days.

Ha! Love it when my intuition is spot on!!
I had no idea of that, just that my gut told me that and thus I kept smoking through the pandemic, hihi.
Seems like that was an excellent idea!
Thank you for that info!