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Path: utzoo!decvax!mcnc!bch
From: bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Smoking
Message-ID: <796@mcnc.mcnc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Sep-85 15:30:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: mcnc.796
Posted: Tue Sep 10 15:30:31 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Sep-85 16:31:05 EDT
References: <1903@aecom.UUCP>
Reply-To: bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes)
Distribution: na
Organization: North Carolina Educational Computing Service
Lines: 31
Summary: 

As an ex-smoker (5 months and counting after a 20 year habit) I'd like
to throw in a few words about making (or helping) others quit.

The people who *hindered* me most from becoming smoke-free were:

	(1) Those who spoke gloom and doom about cancer, heart disease, etc.

	(2) Those who looked at my ash trays in disgust.

	(3) Those who came and voluntarily closed my office door when I lit
	    up at work.

	(4) Those who grabbed cigarettes out of my mouth and stamped on them
	    (in smoking areas -- I never smoked in non-smoking areas.)

	(5) Those who in some systematic way tried to characterize me as some
	    sort of weak-willed lesser species of human.

None of the above noticed when I quit anyway.

The people who *helped* me the most were the people who felt concern for me
as a friend, including my doctor (sorry Walt, he's an AMA member.)  They
also were the ones who noticed I had quit and congratulated me on it.  That
sort of love is the best motivator there is.  A little bit of concern for
the other person is worth a great deal more than a whole lot of anger.


-- 

						Byron C. Howes
				      ...!{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch