ang: it's not so much what I would say as what I would try to do. All they have to do is see me try to walk at what they would consider a regular pace any distance. The panting and wheezing caused by my Emphysema says it all.
Kaiser
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 60
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,418
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $600
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 11 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 4 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33
Great thread Ang !!
Kiwi.. my parents actually made me smoke a pack of cigarettes when I got caught smoking. I got sick and all but blamed it on the brand..
We watched films of people with emphysema bedbound and picture after picture of bad lungs.. didn't work either..
I think if it were a teenage girl, I would tell her that smoking will wrinkle your skin prematurely. Boys won't like that either actually.
I would tell the boys that smoking will make them slow and off their game in sports. Girls in sports as well.
I would tell them both that it makes you stink.. and it's hard to get the smell off your stuff.. like your car and jacket and hair...
I would tell both that it will eat up your spending money and soon will have to give up lunch or something else just to smoke.
I would lastly tell them that smoking is for the old generations.. that they are a clean generation and shouldn't join in the habits of oldies like me.
I substitute teach and have had this discussion a few times over the years.. I hope even one of them listens..
Hang Tuff Guys !
Knight Christine
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/1/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 29
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 748
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $101.5
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 3 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 5 [B]Seconds:[/B] 50
Hi Ang,
Thanks to very graphic non-smoking ads on TV my kids know how harmful it is. I believe the earlier they learn about the dangers the better the chances are that they won't start. We do have an open dialogue about smoking, and how addictive it is, and they know how much better I feel now because I talk about it with them.
Gaby
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/17/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 44
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 889
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $341
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 3 [B]Hrs:[/B] 22 [B]Mins:[/B] 2 [B]Seconds:[/B] 25
What would you say to a young person/teenager if they came to you about deciding to smoke or not or if you caught them lighting up their very first smoke they ever had?
I was reading something that was talking about something like this and I know and read that lecturing kids on the health part of it doesnt work. My mom tried that on me but it made me even more restful and I dug my heels in the ground more and smoked more out of spite!!! haha stupid but hey ima teenager!!
I think i would have to say that smoking is more demanding than your parents or the strictest parents they know. It is annoying like a little sister or brother, always screaming for attention and for you to feed it. It wont leave you alone.
It turns u into almost a sckitzophrenic, like Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde.
It's a gold digger. Like an egg sandwhich the smell never goes away!! haha
Now I am just getting silly!!
Lol
What would you say or do?
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/1/2006
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 28
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 145
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $224
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 1 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 16 [B]Seconds:[/B] 33
If it was some young person / teenager i knew deciding to smoke....
i'd buy them a packet, lock them in a room & make them smoke the whole packet until they puked.
If i caught them smoking thier first smoke......
i would say......I bet you can't smoke 15 of those things in a row
;p
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 425
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,646
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2762.5
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 61 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 27 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52
I say lead by example. Be an example to other teens who smoke or may have tried it once or are thinking about trying it to be "cool." It's obvious that preaching to teens about the dangers of smoking isn't going to work... but perhaps like Katy said, saying "been there, done that... don't EVER want to do it again" would be the way to go.
Ang, you have a GREAT picture of what smoking is like there and I think that teens would relate to that very well. I think you said once that you'd like to be a role model to kids and teens about smoking... I think you'd be good at that. You have a great quit going... keep it up!
Crave the Quit!
Butterfly [IMG]http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c177/kissnflirt/butterfly3.gif[/IMG]
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/28/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 125
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,135
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $412.5
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 9 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 28 [B]Seconds:[/B] 36
What a great thread, Ang! I think I agree with you...I would talk about addiction, in the same language as I would talk about crack or meth or heroin. Except there's no high. Just a lie.
Rusty
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/13/2004
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 444
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 12,458
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1554
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 61 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 52 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22
Instead of telling them what it will do to "them"???? tell them what it did to YOU....
you have a good start with what you wrote
[i]It is annoying like a little sister or brother, always screaming for attention and for you to feed it. It wont leave you alone. [/i]
I can promise you the longer you do it, the worse it gets...my days were endless slots of either feeding the beast or planning on when I would do it next. sometimes I was craving even while I was smoking. It was really sick.
and then there is the filth and smell....that is another whole story.
we all know that lecturing the smoker won't work....but perhaps talking about 'self' and where smoking took you could help.
Katy
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/4/2002
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 1518
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 60,722
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $8349
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 198 [B]Hrs:[/B] 0 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 25
