I fucking quit...

[Angrboda]

It's better for physical health, but from my time in hospitals and nursing homes, smoking functions as a powerful catalyst to get people to socialize during otherwise unoccupied time.

[Alex K]

It's better for physical health, but from my time in hospitals and nursing homes, smoking functions as a powerful catalyst to get people to socialize during otherwise unoccupied time.

I've smoked a total of like 3 cigarettes in my life, and only when utterly drunk. So apart from the occasional cherished cigar I always was a staunch non smoker. So, whenever I was hanging out with people at school, at parties or other events in my late teens, I noticed that all the hooking up and whatever other relations and deals and conspiracies happened between the cool kids, happened during smokes. It seemed to me that sex was basically negotiated via lending someone a cig or going for a smoke or whatever etc. I felt extremely left out. I think I didn't even get half the stuff that was going on in front of my eyes. My life might have run entirely differently had I smoked. It would now be barely recognizable, I'm sure.

[Dystopia]

I'm having a hard time quitting. Recently I got my hands on tobacco leaves my parents imported. It is extremely cheap (probably cheaper than tobacco ever was back in the day) and the only difference is that you have to roll your own. Cigarette prices are a good deterrent, specially for poor students, but it seems we always find a way to circumvent the law's goals.

My government is making it illegal to smoke indoors in most places. It's complicated, 99% of places I go to allow smoking inside or they have an open air space outside/inside. I'm not sure open spaces inside private businesses' establishments will be affected. It won't make an enormous difference to most people, most smokers will just get up and smoke at the front door. It will be complicated for those who like nightclubs. It is illegal to smoke in nightclubs, but pretty much every nightclub allows smoking indoors without ventilation and probably other drugs as well (it's not rare to see drug dealing going on inside and people sniffing stuff).

Cigarette packs will no come with graphic images, but it doesn't affect me very much because I quit smoking regular cigarettes some years ago. I can't stand normal cigarettes now. Either I smoke a cigar, a roll-your-own or any other kind of tobacco, just don't give me packaged cigarettes. Natural tobacco leaves taste very harsh and less appealing, but for some reason I cough a lot less (barely even cough) and I ended up getting used to it. For those who have a hard time quitting, it's worth paying 15€ for tobacco worth of 4 months smoking on average 20 cigarettes a day.

It's complciated to quit when you live in a country where despite the government's norms and the high cigarette prices compared to the cost of living, smoking is still socially present and acceptable. All of my friends smoke. My parents smoke. My girlfriend smokes. Every place I go to allows smoking, and I can smoke everywhere outside on the street, except inside buildings marked as "non-smokers only". On top of that, most non-smokers don't care and most people are indifferent to others smoking. Old people are usually keen on lecturing random young people about doing something bad, but they are ok with smoking. You go to a Portuguese hospital, you'll see doctors and nurses smoking near the entrance. You go to the school, and science teachers may be smoking as well, and a little further there will be 14 year olds smoking expensive Marlboro cigs. It's complicated. I go to a café right next to a super expensive religious school for kids aged 13-18. When there's a class break, I see all these rich kids in fine clothing smoking one or two cigarettes in 15 minutes. I could understand that back in my day cigarette packs costed a little less and were more appealing, but now a Marlboro red is 5€. I don't understand these kids, even if I made the same mistakes.

[Jackalope]

One year tobacco free, as of last Tuesday.

[Edwardo Piet]

Congratulations CD!!!

[Jackalope]

It's better for physical health, but from my time in hospitals and nursing homes, smoking functions as a powerful catalyst to get people to socialize during otherwise unoccupied time.

Jor - that was my experience as well. For all of its ills, smoking did provide some benefit to my mental health issues. I had to put most of that to bed before tackling quitting. I'm a little surprised I managed to stay clear of tobacco during my crisis last December. That hospitalization didn't offer any opportunities to smoke, but prior to and after would have been oh so easy.


I can't even imagine going back now.

[Jackalope]

Congratulations CD!!!

Thanks!

[Whateverist]

Well done. Another day without cigarettes, another day not filled with coughing.

[Jackalope]

Yep yep yep. My allergies have been less troublesome, and I have not had so much as a cold in a year. I used to get upper respiratory infections at least 2-3 times a year.

Between this and dieting, I can take the stairs at the office without issue.

[SteelCurtain]

Happy quittaversary!

Good shit.