Chip

Recently spent a few days in hospital on a ward where 3 poor chaps had been operated on for throat cancer caused as a direct result of smoking so they had been told.

The state of these three was really upsetting to see after their faces, necks and chests had been totally chopped about to remove what one told me was the monster inside his face.

If people knew what might happen to them through smoking instead of turning a blind eye I suspect a lot more of them would find it easier to give up the bad habit that it is.

And yes I did used to smoke myself.

Chip

MattW

Out of interest, how old were they and how much\what did they smoke?

OllyK

The die hard "it's really hard to give up" brigade will keep smoking no matter what. It's when you see them smoking through the hole in their neck you know they have no chance.

Those that are less weak willed and want to give up will, I doubt there are too many smokers about who deny the possible outcome, although they may think "It'll never happen to me".

Leslie

It cost me a quad bypass and thats no picnic in the park either!

Les

rossyboy

iTrader: (8)

My first anniversary of quitting is not too far away. Best thing I have ever done, hopefully prevented any serious harm by stopping in my twenties

Chip

Matt,

The one guy who I got chatting to was 55, one of the others was about 50 and most shocking to me was a chap called Nigel who could only have been about 40 at most.

As for what they smoked I dont know.

Chip

Chip

I bet

Chip

cw42

iTrader: (1)

Gave up, again, last week, when I bought my new car
smoked since I was 11! gave up cigs @ in 1998, then have smoked cigars on/off since then, deffo off it for good this time though,
chris.

pslewis

I smoked since I was 11 too.

Was in Hospital once and saw the idiots stood outside the Hospital doors smoking with one hand and holding the drip stand with the other To think that such stupidity is allowed to walk the streets is amazing! To think they get treatment is laughable!!

I stopped smoking 6 1/2 years ago as the result of a health scare - I was scared ****less that I was in my last months of life!!

STOP before its too late everyone!!

Pete

MattW

Relatively young. I lost my Father aged 56 to what was effectively smoking.

Chip

Saw exactly the same thing last week. And it was about -2c outside at the time as well and they were in their pyjamas too.

Chip

MattW

Not nearly as bad as seeing women about to drop a baby standing outside in nightdress with *** in gob.

Makes me sick how selfish.

JTaylor

I've cut right down to about 2 or 3 day and am desperate to give up completely. Congratulations to those that have managed it, I'm finding knocking the last few on the head to be a real struggle.

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

My Gran use to smoke 40 a day from the age of 13 and lived to the ripe old age of 86 She died of natural causes

JTaylor

My Father never drank or smoked in his life and did regular daily excersises. He died of heart disease at 62.

ChrisB

A lot of the patients enjoy a tipple too.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

What pissed me off, was that the local hospital had a smoking area outside... not a major problem, except it was by the enterance to the maternity wing.

So whether you liked it or not, if you were about to give birth, in for a check up or scan, pregnant women had to walk by them.

The smoke would drift into the waiting area when the door was opened.

I don't have a problem with smoking, I was a smoker for 10 years, but to have no choice in the matter pisses me off.

Anyway, as I've been saying at work... smoking is for losers!

Chip

I'm sure they do

Chip

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

You obviously do, as you just contradicted yourself there

JCScooby

With all the talk of hospitals, can i ask if anyone here has had to go for an op on a Hernia?

Sorry to change the subject.

SiPie

She was lucky then as it prematurely kills nearly 50% of all smokers.

Had she not smoked, maybe she would of lived to 106.....?

For every Uncle so and so that you hear about who smoked 60 a day & lived till he was 80........ there's the other uncle who was struck down at 40 or 50 by lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, coronary disease, throat cancer .. take your pick...

mart360

when i went to my gp with chest pains,.. he asked if i smoked,,, at the time i did,

he reckoned the fastest way to get someone to give up, was to spend a week in/on the coranry(sp) care ward!!!

i gave up 5.5 years ago

Mart

Nick Read

I packed up two or three years ago and it was the hardest thing I ever did after numerous failed attempts. The only way to give up is to do some hard thinking and get it straight in your head that you're a nicotine addict, pure and simple. You don't enjoy it. It's not just a habit. You certainly don't need it to cope with 'stress'. For a smoker the absence of nicotine is what causes stress, having your fix relieves it so you mistakenly believe it's helping you by making you feel better. We recognise junkies who are hooked on heroin, cocaine etc. and look down on them as feeble, yet smokers are all around us but their fix is legal and taxed. That's the only difference.

Why do you think no-one ever succeeds in 'cutting down'? Because smoking is an addiction. You either give up or you don't. YOu don't get a junkie off smack by letting them have just a little bit every day do you. And you most certainly don't by giving them a patch to stick on their arm to release a regular dose of the drug throughout the day. WHat a stupid thing to do - IMHO. I should know, I did it!

So my advice is this: if you think you like smoking, keep doing it. You couldn't give up anyway, so why punish yourself by trying? before you can pack in smoking you have to get it straight in your head and see it for what it is - a drug addiction and a bloody pricey, antisocial one at that.

cw42

iTrader: (1)

strong but true words above Nick. I was ready to give up this time, just needed the last push of the new car purchase to tip the balance. Sad I know, but I could afford to kill myself slowly, now I still can, but would rather spend the money on mods

chris.

Nick Read

Well I really wish you all the success in the world. Once you're well clear of it, and you look back on your days as a smoker, you'll be so proud of yourself for packing it in, honestly. You'll wonder what the attraction ever was. I remember spending three days in hospital with heart palpitations that wouldn't settle down and in the end they had to give me a general anaesthetic and restart my heart rhythm with the electric shock machine. And guess what was the first thing I did as soon as I was allowed to walk around on my own - that's right, I went for a *** outside the front lobby! How much of a nicotine junkie was I? But the fact is, every smoker's just as addicted. It's just a question of realising the harsh truth.

If there was one thing I learnt, it was that there's no-one and nothing that's gonna be able to MAKE a smoker give up, not their wife nor their children, not hospital visits, not cancer, not a death in the family from smoking. Only they can make that decision for themselves when they're ready to see smoking as it really is.

cw42

iTrader: (1)

exactly, I'm not going to lecture anyone on giving up, as I've been lectured by quitters before, and nothing anyone says or does will make you stop, only you can do that,
chris.

mcvicar

Not all smokers have the "It'll never happen to me" attitude.
Like me a lot of smokers do so because they enjoy it but also know the possible consequences.
"If you want to smoke, SMOKE"
"If you want to drive your car fast, DRIVE IT FAST"
At the end of the day, when your time is up, it up. Nothing you or anyone else can do about it. Enjoy your life to the full while your here and do what you feel like. Life is too SHORT so enjoy. YOU MAY GET RUN OVER BY A BUS TOMORROW!!!

Billbill

Had a hernia op many years ago. Still holding.
I'm 86 and still smoking. May not make 100 because of it.
Just another loser, I guess.

SiPie

...and a stinking one at that

danwrx1980

Had a hernia op about 24 years ago, made a great job of me. Got a big scar that goes from the left side of my ******* to the love handle area in a diagonal direction, don't remember much of it tho as i was only 4 weeks old!!!

Oh, and give up smokin ya smelly gits!!!