I don\'t smoke. I tired a cig once, but I nearly threw up.
Both my parents smoke......... or at least they both DID. My Dad smoked from the age of 14 and used to go through 3-4 packs of 20 a day. We all (me and my sisters) tried to get them to stop. My Dad always said that he would NEVER give up smoking, and that HIS Dad smoked heavily all his life without developing any health problems, so he wouldn\'t get any either. Approximately 12 months ago, my Dad suffered a stroke, brought on, according to the specialist that treated him, by many years of smoking. Fortunately for him, he only suffered a very mild stroke that left him with no permanent damage. Since that day, he has not smoked a single cig. He says that from that point onwards, his outlook on life changed. Because he had never had health problems before, he never really thought of himself as being vulnerable. I only have to look at him now to see that it has changed his life, it is clearly visable that he is now aware of his own mortality. Unfortunately, I cannot be so optimistic about my Mum, she claims that she gave up smoking 20 years ago, but I see her go out into the garden to "hang the washing out on the line". little does she realise that I can see the somke out of the window, and even smell the smoke on her. I have confronted her about it, and all she ever says is "oh, that? That was just a cig that I found at work today" I tell her that she is going to end up 6 feet under because of what she is doing, and I try to lay the guilt trip on her by saying things like"If you want to smoke youself to death, fine do so, but don\'t insult my intellegence by pretending that you have given up, whilst smoking behind my back in a decietful manner"
You would think that what happened to my Dad would have made her sit up and take notice, It is my honest belief that she doesn\'t have the willpower to give up, and deep down inside, I don\'t think she ever will.
