Why are (some) non-smokers so ignorant??

[kev2]

So before work today I was standing outside in front of my building with some fellow smokers like I do everyday. One of my "non-smoking" co-workers came outside as well. I proceeded to tell everyone that I set a date for me to quit smoking and that I was actually gonna follow through this time. I told them that i was quitting in 3 weeks because I wanted to give myself some time to cut back before I officially quit. My non-smoking friend said the following with a cocky tone:

"I dont get why you cant just quit now. I cant be THAT hard! You act like youre addicted to heroin."

My reply:

"Have you ever smoked?"

Friend:

"No."

Me:

"Then shut the f@%k up." (excuse my language)

I didnt want to get into a heated debate with this guy because I've have this discussion hundreds of times with non-smokers before and it goes no where. Why cant they just get it that nicotine is a hard "drug" to quit? Trust me if i could put these things down and walk away i would have done it YEARS ago. I'm just getting sick of being looked down upon like i'm some idiot because I just "cant quit". Has anyone else had to deal with this?

[deb21]

I've had issues with non smokers before....and I got tired of it...and I told them...."when YOU become PERFECT you let me know" and I'll quit smoking!! Plus I think the worst people are the ex-smokers that are telling the smokers to quit...they will harp on you all the time and they should know how hard it is to quit. Besides the smokes getting toooooo expensive to by plus the gas cost....I have an infection in my leg...doc said it's cellulitis...it's painful and if it doesn't heal up down the road I could lose my leg....yes my daughter smokes but I don't get on her about quiting...she's 17 and yes she fell into the peer pressure group....some day she will quit and I've showed her my leg and told her this is what years of smoking can do. It's her choice what she wants to do!! When I started Chantix I quit buying my smokes right away even tho the instructions said that I could still smoke the first week of being on the meds....so what I did ...was...smoked my daughters cigarettes...camels..YUCK YUCK...the black and pink box...regular size..but I lit it and took a puff or 2 and put it out....it got to the point that I was only smoking one cigarette a day...and doc said they would start to taste bad that first week...and they did...considering they tasted bad anyway cuz they were camels!!!...So I stopped smoking before my quit date...I am on my 42nd day today..and have saved 230.00 dollars in smokes....!!! We can do it...just get a plan...I also suck on Cinnamon disks from wallmart!! I have no cravings for smokes at all...! Good Luck...so I was winded here...but at least it wasn't from smoking!!! :O) Deb

[kristy8]

amen! people are ignorant. u cant possibly know about something when youve never expierienced it. this goes with all things in life..not just smoking!

[sara9]

I heard that! I have a friend at school who always bugs on me about quitting. Every day, without fail, he says, "So Sara, have you quit smoking yet?" I say, "No, but I'm trying." And he says, "I don't see why you can't do it now."

This friend of mine, he's never smoked in his life. He doesn't understand the powerful grip that nicotine gets on you. I've tried explaining it to him, but I get nowhere...

[debbie11]

When we’ve done something to help ourselves, sometimes the next thing we want to do is help other people too. When you’ve quit smoking, that’s only natural.

Ex-smokers are often the toughest on other smokers. Because you were able to quit, you may want to help your friends and family quit too. You just have to be careful how you go about it. You don’t want to come across as too bossy or preachy.

The best way is to share the things that worked for you. Be encouraging, but don’t scold or make people feel bad. If someone is not ready to quit, there’s not much else you can do. The key is to support him or her when he or she is ready.

If you know another smoker who seems ready to stop, a bit of gentle encouragement could be the best favor you ever do for him or her.


5 weeks and counting

[elizabeth17]

It's true... the physical w/drawl symptoms of Heroin may be different, but no less painful (if you are quitting taking nicotine replacement therapies your pain will be diminished if not absent) and the likelihood of an ex-smoker going back to cigs is way higher than an ex-heroin addict picking the needle back up. The psychological aspect of any addiction is the real killer. In the big picture, the physical effects don't compare (w/ the exception of alcohol w/ drawl...). It's important for us to remember that this will kill us just as surely as heroin and all addictions are burdens to the soul, anyway. All of them cause pain.

[savegrace]

Thank you, Karen. I didn't mean to make light of the 'big deal' part. More I was trying to relate the excitement when someone sets out to do something and is so involved, then, in time, it dies down.

Also, if I can quit smoking my daughter can try to find her life again and sober up. Karen, she is totally disabled. She will be 30 at the end of October. The picture I use on this site is of my daughter and myself about 28 years ago. I heard the angels sing when she was born.

[joe39]

Who hasn't had to deal with it. The one I love is the ahole who says "oh quitting,s easy . Iquit 10 years ago and just threw them away and I haven,t had 1 since." Well, goody for you ,but you're still an ahole

[abetterme]

That drives me SOOO crazy. And no it's not heroin but it's proven to be more addictive than heroin but of course uninformed commenters don't know that.
Good luck to you!

[debsquitting]

Lots of times. This website suggests telling friends and such you are quitting to get support. I've done that and it didn't help at all. They would just try and scold me if I slipped or weren't very understanding when I had bad cravings and needed them to help talk me through it. So I will be using this forum for support and will not be letting anyone else know I'm quitting. I've concluded that it is a pretty personal decision anyway and no one else's business.

Wasn't surprised at all to hear the comments you got. Ex-smokers seem to be the worse from my experience. I guess that is their way of not going back to smoking.

good luck on quitting. I just signed up here and am still trying to figure out how the program works.

[bonnie6]

my sister----she will come in my house and start coughing and fanning, saying i don't see why u cant't just quit-----it can't be that hard-------i try to explain like why don't u stop eating-----just as hard---or harder---