Member-only story
An Open Letter To Those Of You Who Are Still Smoking
Which I don’t expect you to read, because I wouldn’t have when I smoked.
Dear Smokers,
Obviously, I am not about to say “well done” or “keep it up” or “good on you for proving you are not a quitter”.
I will ask you “Why?”
Why are you still smoking? And why if you are still smoking, aren’t you trying to quit?
I know why. Because it is hard and scary. I smoked for over 20 years. I also quit, a lot. I did things to cut down the damage to my health and wallet. I changed from tailors to rollies, erroneously thinking they were less harmful. I banned myself from smoking inside in the hope it would cut down how much I smoked. It didn’t. It just meant my flat didn’t smell and my walls weren’t covered in yellow tar. Here is a bit of advice for smokers, sugar soap your walls. If you have framed artwork or photos, wipe them down with a white cloth. Yep, that gunk is going into your lungs. This won’t stop you but when you do try and quit again it might help.
I would repeatedly quit as my New Years Resolution, yeah good one, try quitting with a horrendous hangover. Or anytime in summer with all those parties to go to. I would quit for non-smoking boyfriends only to immediately run back to the familiar arms of my cigarettes the minute the relationship looked wonky.
There is no denying the camaraderie of the smokers, a…
