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> I've always said that there's no such thing as an ex-smoker; they're smokers who haven't smoked in a long time. This kind of absolutism may end up discouragi

> I've always said that there's no such thing as an ex-smoker; they're smokers who haven't smoked in a long time. This kind of absolutism may end up discouraging present-day smokers from trying to quit at all. It's also not necessarily true. Some people do go from being smokers to hating the sight/smell/thought of smoking.

chaircher 5y ago
I agree, but it's also worth noting sometimes the opposite can be true and it's more helpful for some people who don't want to smoke to drop the "ex-smoker" "quit" and similar language and start saying things like "I am not smoking at the moment" instead. It takes the pressure off and makes it seem like less of an all-or-nothing thing. And also means if you do mess up and have a cigarette, you've not failed, you've just had a cigarette and now you can go back to not smoking. Not posting this to be contrarian, just on the off chance there's anyone reading this whose trying to quit and is looking for a new angle to try. If you can't quit, don't quit. Just don't smoke. This is what finally worked for me.
- loudtieblahblah 5y ago
  I used to say shit like "I'm not smoking at the moment" or "I quit every time I put one out" I turned phrases like that into a contrarian joke to justify my addiction.
loudtieblahblah 5y ago
Smoked from the time I was 13 until I was 29. That was 11 years ago. I was tempted to smoke for the dirt 2-3 years after I quit. But I've grown to despise it and being around it.
- jwdunne 5y ago
  Interesting how close our timelines match up, minus the 11 years. Smoked from 14 to just before my 30th birthday, which was 6 months ago. If I smell it in passing, it smells pretty disgusting. But if I spend the weekend at my parents (both heavy smokers), I quickly fall in love with the smell again and yearn for “one last cig”. A big problem for me is that tobacco smoke very much smells like home - it’s what home smelled like growing up. And nothing takes you back like a strong, familiar scent.

chaircher 5y ago

I agree, but it's also worth noting sometimes the opposite can be true and it's more helpful for some people who don't want to smoke to drop the "ex-smoker" "quit" and similar language and start saying things like "I am not smoking at the moment" instead. It takes the pressure off and makes it seem like less of an all-or-nothing thing. And also means if you do mess up and have a cigarette, you've not failed, you've just had a cigarette and now you can go back to not smoking. Not posting this to be contrarian, just on the off chance there's anyone reading this whose trying to quit and is looking for a new angle to try. If you can't quit, don't quit. Just don't smoke. This is what finally worked for me.

loudtieblahblah 5y ago
I used to say shit like "I'm not smoking at the moment" or "I quit every time I put one out" I turned phrases like that into a contrarian joke to justify my addiction.

loudtieblahblah 5y ago

Smoked from the time I was 13 until I was 29. That was 11 years ago. I was tempted to smoke for the dirt 2-3 years after I quit. But I've grown to despise it and being around it.

jwdunne 5y ago
Interesting how close our timelines match up, minus the 11 years. Smoked from 14 to just before my 30th birthday, which was 6 months ago. If I smell it in passing, it smells pretty disgusting. But if I spend the weekend at my parents (both heavy smokers), I quickly fall in love with the smell again and yearn for “one last cig”. A big problem for me is that tobacco smoke very much smells like home - it’s what home smelled like growing up. And nothing takes you back like a strong, familiar scent.