A smoking thread for Sharlag

rainangel, that's the same idea! But I remember them being shorter, but perhaps my memory is false. I've never actually eaten one as I don't care for black licorice, I just remember admiring the little red candy balls on the end.

Found these on Amazon when I googled black licorice pipes:

A huge congratulations to those of you who have quit smoking. I have read that it is harder for a woman to stop than a man. (I don't remember where I read that, or what the reason was).

I had asthma as a child and have never been able to understand the desire to draw smoke (or anything for that matter) into your lungs. However, in a fit of teenage rebellion, my DS started smoking at 16....married a lovely young lady who also smoked since her teens. A year after the wedding, they made a pact to quit together so they could be smoke free before starting a family. They didn't use any kind of drug or patch, just chose a date and got up that morning and didn't smoke again. She also started a diet/exercise plan at the same time to lose about 20 lbs. I seriously do not know how they did it, but they did it together...improved their health...lost weight...got pregnant and now are the parents of the cutest little boy you ever saw.

I am in awe of their strength and perseverance.

If you smoke...I hope you can find the strength to stop.

One thing my son told me was..while he was in the first 6 months, it did not help when someone asked "how is the stopping smoking going?" or to mention it at all. He didn't want to talk about it at all. So I never asked. When they passed their first year of not smoking....he emailed me and I congratulated them that way. We never talk about it at all.

And your story made me smile, Sharla. I would not have been as resourceful as you to think of the elephant part.

Speaking of a smoking room, my mom smokes. She says there's a room in the Oklahoma City airport that used to be a smoking lounge? She says the walls are covered in nicotine yellow, and there are chairs up against the walls. Apparently, there are places on the walls where people have leaned their heads, and sort of 'cleaned' the nicotine off the painted surface with their hair.

I have a smoking question I have wanted to post for years. In this day and age, why do people still start to smoke? Given all that we know, why do young people still pick up a cigarette an start? Cool factor? Peer pressure?

I'm on hour 43 of not having nicotine.
Lets just say I'm not friendly.
I've even cried..i'm not a crier.
at 72 hours least I know its out of my blood stream.

My son started at 16...he was hard into teen rebellion and I was not good with letting him have freedom he probably could have handled if I'd let him.  I'll never forget the day he threw that pack of cigarettes into my face and yelled that he was only smoking because I told him not to.  After some counseling (which he agreed to that day) he and I learned a lot and he got through high school and turned out to be an awesome, responsible young man.  But he smoked for 10 years.  Now, he has an 11 week old son and told me the other day...how will I keep him safe and out of trouble?  

I had to smile.  I told my DS to NEVER tell him to NOT do something.  Show him a better choice.  Set the right example.  And to start now being active in his life...play with him after work...take him places on the weekends...be THE DAD that is the Cub Scout volunteer...take him to Sunday School...be the example.

My son is now 31.  He told me years ago that he only started smoking because he knew I was very against it and he knew it would upset me.

I had to learn a lot as a parent.  

Also, for back story....4 years ago, my DH's father was diagnosed with small cell carcinoma lung cancer.  The Dr. told him that if his DD had not
DRAGGED him to the ER he would have been dead in 3 weeks.  He had a huge tumor in his lung.  They admitted him and hit him with both massive radiation and chemo at the same time.  He was horribly sick for months.  But they killed that tumor and he is now 4 years post...doing ok.  He had been a life long heavy smoker.  But it cured him of smoking....but didn't seem to help my DS stop.  It was his wife and the desire to be healthy and start a family.

Sue, I used Welbutrin, too. I couldn't really tell if it helped or not, but I did manage to stay quit for the first time, so whatever works.


Many hugs to you! Go ahead and cry all you like.

Sharlag, that's hysterical. Seriously, I'm crying here.

and yes, I remember those packs of candy cigarettes. I wanted to be like my parents, both of whom smoked until I was in high school. My dad quit my senior year, and my mom finally quit once I left college. I can still remember the sound of the lighter clicking when I would call home with some kind of drama/panic.

My dad passed at 65, from lung cancer and my mom has had a breast cancer scare. Both of them refuse to acknowledge the connections between the cigs and their heath. I maintain that if my dad, who I'm sure started in his teens, had quit earlier, or never started he'd be around to see both of his grandchildren today.

I've watched my ILs struggle to quit repeatedly. FIL has had multiple heart attacks, says he'll quit, go for a year then back at it. They had quit, but my SIL who lives nearby said she was there dropping something off and swears she smelled it in the house. Kudos to all of who who have truly quit for good. I've watched too many people I care about try to quit and struggle with it even in the face of significant heath issues.

My sister Is in her mid 20s and she recently gave up smoking but I 100% know she started because she thought it was cool and my mother (who smoked but also quit a yr ago) provoked her into it. My sister started from age 7ish getting my mother to save her empty packs of cigs (mom happily did it to!) and my sister would put crayons in them and take a real lighter that had ran out of fluid and pretend to light them and smoke. She did this for years and years...mom thought it was funny *insert eye roll* then she started smoking the real thing at age 13. So I do think a lot of people think its cool and that's why they start.

I remember my mother moving pictures and stuff off the wall and you could see the nicotine outline.  It was gross.

My Mom smoked from the age of 14 to 60. She had a massive stroke and said she only picked up a cigarette one time after her stroke, she said it tasted so bad she would never go back.  She had small cell carcinoma she was diagnosed on Oct 13th and died on Nov. 15th.   She had been cigarette free for over 15 years.   Only one of my 9  siblings ever smoked more than causally in college and she quit long before my Mom had her stroke.  But my nieces and nephews of the 5 older ones all but one started smoking in high school.  When my Mom got cancer my niece who was a social smoker, and one of my nephews quit.  I still have a niece and nephew who still smoke.  My niece has cut way back, and my nephew has a very addictive personality, and we think cigarettes are better than the alternative.  

 I think the reason none of my siblings smoke is we saw how disgusting it was growing up... and my nieces and nephews just knew it took the edge off.  As stressful as life is these days I am surprised there is not an upsurge in smoking.  One thing I am trying to teach my daughter who isn't quite 12 that when I stressed I exercise.  I even say,  "I'm feeling really stressed out so I am going for a walk or a run."  


Well that novel to say I think that it does take the edge off and people are just looking to ease a little of life stress.

Sharla my mil tells a story about dh. She was teaching a Sunday School class of maybe preschoolers. They had this pretend birthday cake they would light and sing happy birthday. Dh was her helper. He went in the closet to light the candles - a fire hazard too, huh! He took a pretend puff from a lit birthday candle. One of the tykes saw him through the partially open door. "He mokin'!" Mil was ready to kill her dear son. Lol