To smoke or not to smoke...

The question seems simple enough: To Smoke or NOT to Smoke. We all know that it is bad for us health wise yet, millions of Americans still consume tobacco products to the detriment of their health.  Unfortunately, the habit is also to the detriment of the health of everyone around the smoker too.

Before I go any further, let me say that if you are a smoker and you want to continue, that's your business. I am just going to pass along some information and my own experience as a former smoker of 44 years.

I am not going to try and "Scare you straight" with horror stories of former smokers who have died horrible deaths. I won't even post the picture of me in the ICU of the Naval Hospital after open heart surgery. I'm sure you all know about the risks associated with smoking. I was and I chose to ignore them.

But, one day about 10 days after my heart surgery, my surgeon, came to check on me. He was concerned because there had been some major post-operative complications with my case.  Please not that I said this was some 10 days after the surgery. I was originally scheduled to go home 3 days post-op. I asked the doctor if the complications were due to my smoking. He told me that they most likely were. Folks, I had nearly died. Not fun. I scared my wife and children, not to mention many of my friends.

The way I quit after so many years was kind of frightening. The cardiologist was very blunt as she was threading a catheter through my cardiac arteries. She said I needed to quit smoking or I was going to die! She wasn't saying this in a frightening voice. She was very matter-of-fact. Clinical.

When I got back to my hospital room, I told my wife to go home and throw away all my cigarettes. She laughed at me and told me that she already had gotten rid of them.

There are complications to open heart surgery. One of them is damage to vocal function. Well, guess which complication I got. The day after I got home from the hospital, my voice disappeared. I was unable to speak clearly. As it turns out, I have now got a paralyzed vocal cord. Several surgeries later, my voice is stronger but, I have to go to speech therapy regularly to learn the correct way to talk and swallow. All due to my choice to smoke.

I am not complaining. I made the choice. I was warned more times than I can count and I still persisted in smoking. So, this is the price I pay. At least I am still alive to talk about it.

My son is the only one left in my family who still smokes. I hate it. I can't stand the smell and the idea that he would continue to smoke after watching what I went through just baffles me. But, that is his choice.  I got him e-cigarettes for Christmas; at his request. He says he lost them. OK, that's fine. Again, that's his choice. I just read an article that e-cigarettes are not an effective stop smoking tool anyway.

I honestly believe that the best tool for smoking cession is right between your ears. Your brain. If you are a smoker, wanting to quit, you need to get your head in the right place. You have to be ready to honestly quit. If not, it won't work.

I do know that when you are ready to quit, there are a lot of resources out there to help you achieve your goal. It's not easy. A habit of decades will not go away in just a week or a month.  It will take a commitment like none before. I promise that.

Under my circumstances, it was easy to quit. I was scared out of my mind. The prospect of open-heart surgery is daunting to say the least. The doctor's clinical pronouncement really got my attention and from that moment on, I have not had the idea of smoking ever again.

I can smell a smoker from 15 feet away now. I avoid the smell. My food tastes better and I find it easier to do many things. I hope that I didn't wait to long to quit and I can avoid further health problems due to smoking.

Finally, just one other point. When I started smoking, some time around 1969, Cigarettes cost around 25 cents a pack (more or less). Now, with all the taxes etc. a pack of Salem (my brand of choice) cost $ 7.58 (minimum legal price in NJ). $ 2,774.28 if you budget only 1 pack a day. I know that I can find lots of better uses for nearly 3 thousand dollars in a year.

As always...