I need my friend, when I am:

• unhappy

• unsatisfied

• nervous

• bored

• anxious

• lonely

• tired 

• frustrated 

• thinking

• socializing

• celebrating

Food, drink, fun and games, and even sex all seem to lose their appeal without my friend. Cigarettes give me company through all this and much more............. a true friend indeed.

After hearing this, I find myself amazed that almost 50,000,000 Americans have  given up smoking.  What in the world is wrong with these ex-smokers?  I can understand people who never smoked.  They never knew or believed all of these wonderful benefits derived from smoking.  What you never had you'll never miss.  But these ex-smokers, having given up such a marvelous friend  with so many benefits, must be crazy.

The fact is ex-smokers are not crazy.  To the contrary, it was their ability to be rational which enabled them to successfully break free from cigarettes. But to tell a smoker the truth about his cigarettes while he still is in the midst of the smoker's psyche results in a state of denial and defiance.  He cannot believe his cigarettes, his friends and allies, would in any way hurt him.  They help him over trauma, they help him enjoy life to the fullest.  Think of all the things he does with his cigarettes.  He wakes in the morning to them, works with them, plays with them, eats and drinks, goes to the bathroom, reads the paper, watches television, socializes and even has them on his mind during sex.  If any person hung around him that much, it would drive him crazy.  But not his friendly cigarettes - they enhance everything. To think of life without and beyond this friend's companionship is not only ingratitude of the highest order but is sacrilege to him.

It is important to remember that a nicoholic is an addict and to expect an addict to see reason is not fare. Any any ex-smoker who now has his perspective restored will tell you how irrational his thoughts were when he too was an addict.  

Every smoker is constantly warned of the dangers through the media, physicians, family, friends who quit, and most importantly, his own body. Not a week goes by when he is not being bombarded by the constant annoying message that smoking is impairing and killing him. But being the obedient addict, he disregards these pestering outside influences and obeys his true friend (master) cigarettes.  One of my colleagues during the quitting process stated, "Everywhere I turned I was being warned about cigarettes.  Newspapers reports and magazines articles constantly reinforced that cigarettes were deadly.  Even bill boards advertising cigarettes carried the Surgeon General's warning signal.  Every time I'd reach for my pack, a warning label stared me in the face.  It was only a matter of time before I reached the only logical conclusion.  I quit reading!"

The rationality, logic and reasoning of smokers are all drug induced. The craving for a cigarette ignited by a dropping serum nicotine level does not leave them with an alternative option. 

If you are a smoker go through the remaining part of this article only if you can muster up a non-biased mind set cause what follows is another look at your friend the cigarette through the eyes of a non smoker or an ex-smoker.

A Friend in deed?

How do you feel about a friend who has to go everywhere with you?  Not only does he tag along all the time, but since he is so offensive and vulgar, you become unwelcome when with him.  He has a peculiar odor that sticks to you wherever you go.  Others think both of you stink.

He controls you totally.  When he says jump, you jump.  Sometimes in the middle of a blizzard or storm, he wants you to come to the store and pick him up.  You would give your spouse hell if he or she did that to you all the time, but you can't argue with your friend.  Sometimes, when you are out at a movie or play he says he wants you to go stand in the lobby with him and miss important scenes.  Since he calls all the shots in your life, you go.

When you try to get close to your sweet heart she draws away saying "you smell like an ashtray", but who cares cause the love of your life is not as important as your friend.

Your friend doesn't like your choice of clothing either.  Instead of politely telling you that you have lousy taste, he burns little holes in these items so you will want to throw them out.  Sometimes, he tires of the furniture and gets rid of it too.  Occasionally, he gets really nasty and decides the whole house must go.

He gets pretty expensive to support.  Not only is his knack of property destruction costly, but you must pay to keep him with you.  In fact, he will cost you thousands of dollars over your lifetime.  And you can count on one thing, he will never pay you a penny in return.

Often at picnics you watch others playing vigorous activities and having lots of fun doing them.  But your friend won't let you.  He doesn't believe in physical activity.  In his opinion, you are too old to have that kind of fun.  So he kind of sits on your chest and makes it difficult for you to breathe.  Now you don't want to go off and play with other people when you can't breathe, do you?

Your friend does not believe in being healthy.  He is really repulsed by the thought of you living a long and productive life.  So every chance he gets he makes you sick.  He helps you catch colds and flu.  Not just by running out in the middle of the lousy weather to pick him up at the store.  He is more creative than that.  He carries thousands of poisons with him which he constantly blows in your face.  When you inhale some of them, they wipe out cilia in your lungs which would have helped you prevent these diseases.

But colds and flu are just his form of child's play.  He especially likes diseases that slowly cripple you - like emphysema.  He considers this disease great.  Once he gets you to have this, you will give up all your other friends, family, career goals, activities - everything.  You will just sit home and caress him, telling him what a great friend he is while you desperately gasp for air.

But eventually your friend tires of you.  He decides he no longer wishes to have your company.  Instead of letting you go your separate ways, he decides to kill you.  He has a wonderful arsenal of weapons behind him.  In fact, he has been plotting your death since the day you met him.  He picked all the top killers in society and did everything in his power to ensure you would get one of them.  He overworked your heart and lungs.  He clogged up the arteries to your heart, brain, and every other part of your body.  In case you were too strong to succumb to this, he constantly exposed you to cancer causing agents.  He knew he would get you sooner or later.

   ______________

A puff full of poison | To be or Not to be

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