~~We trade away some, if not much, of our freedom for the feeling of safety that comes with sticking with what we know because the known can only be as scary as it already is, whereas the unknown has limitless potential to be terrifying.~~ Philip K. Jason
A close friend of mine once told me that he would rather die a happy smoker than live a miserable quitter. He said all the things that we tell ourselves when feeding our addiction...."it relaxes me", "I am healthy enough", "If smoking is the worse thing I do, then that's ok".
He passed away yesterday at the age of 49. Sudden. Unexpected. Smoking related. He left behind a daughter who needed her daddy, parents who never wanted to outlive him, and friends who now have a huge black hole where his presence used to be.
I know how scary the thought of quitting can be. Been there, done that. But once you actually put them down, the scary fades away. Because there is nothing to be scared of. Nothing bad happens when you quit. It doesn't cause excruciating physical pain, it doesn't render us helpless, it doesn't paralyze us. Quitting also doesn't cause cancer, broken bones, memory loss, or psychosis. Quitting is only scary because our addiction tells us it is. And as well all know, addiction lies.
There is a world out there just waiting for us to live it. It is glorious sometimes, boring sometimes (so I've been told), joyous, challenging, an adventure. There is nothing out there that makes us smoke and there is nothing out there worth smoking over.
So quitting, you see, is just a scary thought. Do it anyway and you will find that you can push past that thought onto thoughts more positive and productive.
Dying a happy smoker? No. He died addicted to a substance that killed him. And please don't get me wrong. He was a happy man. He was kind and funny and sweet and aggravating 
I simply think he would have been just as happy an ex-smoker once he got past the fear of quitting. Too late, I know. I miss him already.
It's for you to decide, of course, just like it was his. I just would like you to make an informed decision and to do that, you have to know that quitting isn't scary, its just a choice that can lead to life. On the other side of fear is freedom.
