Since I started writing this blog, I have discovered that a number of us were closet smokers. A far larger number than I would have anticipated. A closet smoker is not the same thing as the "social smoker". A social smoker would define themselves as only smoking in certain social situations such as at a bar. My experience with "social smokers" is that they are really I-go-to-the-bar-and-drink-just-so-I-can-bum-cigarettes smoker. You know who you are.
A closet smoker takes great pains to hide the fact that they smoke even from other smokers.
We aren't proud of smoking. We know it's stupid and expensive and bad for our health and bad for the environment and a terrible example. We know. We really don't need the lectures from people when they find out we smoke. We know. That's why we are hiding it from you.
But; you're only as sick as your secrets. For the closet smoker, the Ex site may be the first time they have ever been able to talk about their addiction. We may be the only support system a closet smoker has. That's true for me. I haven't told any of my friends or family that I quit smoking because I worked very hard to make sure they don't think I do. Having one less secret to hide feels pretty good to me.
PT
