Throwing in the towel

Throwing – this word means that we try to separate ourselves from things or persons and we do so through will power. But, what about throwing cups or remote controls? No one told me that we do this through will power. If we can speak about throwing partners, I know from my own experience that sometimes we have to do this and for sure it requires will power. We can also throw words, studies and of course smoking. I don’t want to write about really scary statistics. Just that we are smoking far too much, for sure too much. We are smoking everywhere and after everything. Cigarette at the bus stop, after eating, before shopping, after good or not-so-good sex, in the toilet, in the lift, while writing, while reading, you know what I’m talking about, and no one thinks about it in fashion terms. The smoker is an addict. The worst thing about this is that most smokers declare that they want to quit smoking at some future date. But how do you quit? On the internet, I found the following: ‘Trying to quit cigarettes, it’s better to do it suddenly, without any plans.’ That was the conclusion of a scientist from University College London. This team with Professor Robert Westa analysed 1,900 ex-smokers and they found that those who hadn’t planned to quit were most successful in staying off the cigarettes. On a different website, specialists advised that everything connected to smoking should be removed from the house, lighters, ash trays, stinking clothes. So many methods, so many people trying to give up! Then there are the patches with nicotine and gum (which tastes like cigarettes) and I also heard about electric shock therapy. I remember when I was younger and my really young neighbour tried to quit smoking using the electric shock therapy. He stole 50 zloty from his mother and went for the treatment. When he returned, it was like hell. His mother discovered the missing money and she was administering a home version of shock therapy. Later, we wondered which therapy was successful in ensuring that he quit smoking – electro shock therapy or mum’s shock therapy. Actually, how we do it is not important. What is important is whether it works. I think motivation is very important. First, we have to ask ourselves why we want to quit smoking. It’s really great just one day saying ‘no thanks, I don’t smoke’, but it’s a really, really long way for that. For everyone who smokes, who is trying to quit or are former smokers, I wish them all good luck and hope they have patience because it’s like the old adage ‘that which is good is earned through hard work’. Maybe we are speaking about a lottery win, but this happens never or just once in life!