quitting cigarettes, but not tobacco

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I've quit before, once for six months, then about three months later, for half that...

Yes, I'm a smoker, and have been for about 17 years (got a late start, at 24).  Nasty habit, but it was a certain time in my life and...  Well, let's not get into how I started (or why I started again, after quitting).

Funny thing about tobacco is that it's not as addictive as we are led to believe -- or even as detrimental to health as you might think.  It's the additives that are the real culprit, on both counts.

What helped me quit in the past was gradually switching over to high-quality cigarillos.  Eventually I was still smoking but not getting the additives, and if I never completely got away from tobacco, at least I wasn't smoking every day.

I simply forgot to smoke, because I had successfully weaned myself away from those addictive chemicals.  My advice to anyone who would like to try such a technique is to never let yourself be around cigarettes when you've been drinking and/or in a foul mood, without a decent supply of better tobacco on hand.

Tobacco can be a habit instead of an addiction.  No, seriously.

It is one of those things that is meant to be enjoyed in moderation.

So, aware as I am of how much I suck down the product of a cigarette industry run amok -- and as much as I may enjoy it -- I'm just about ready to quit again (or switch, if you want to look at it that way).  Why now?

When I drink, I tend to pay very little attention to how much I'm smoking.  A hangover is one thing, but several minutes of hacking up phlegm and as much as an hour of laboured breathing aren't fun at all.  No, I don't enjoy feeling as though I need to be treated for smoke inhalation...

...and that's the thing:  Tobacco smoke really shouldn't be inhaled, at least not very much.

It all started with pipes.  Okay sure, no doubt it took the natives a while before they fashioned pipes to enjoy it in, but it was with pipes that it was introduced to the rest of the world.  Anyway, I think I'm going to get a pipe.  Might even carve one for myself, later on...

As I've been typing of course I've been smoking my Camels, and I haven't started switching over yet.  Maybe the goal should be to be cigarette-free by the time I turn 42 (a couple of days before the inauguration).  Sounds like a plan.

Phil Smith

November 10, 2008

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