Smoking, My Story

[larrynz]

www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/gazette/57vol1/copd
The above article is no surprise to us.
I doubt that there is even one person with COPD who has not had a doctors remark like “Well you chose to smoke” or “This is caused by your smoking” followed by a look down the nose, a shrug of the shoulders and the kind of look that indicates a degree of disinterest.
I hasten to add its not every doctor, some have even admitted to me that they also were smokers, the worst offenders are the younger ones who don’t understand the world we grew up in and have never taken the time to find out. I have been a non smoker for 7 years now and I still get that ‘its self inflicted attitude’ from time to time.
If I see a glimpse of interest I jump in and explain. I had my first puff about 1950, among the adult population smokers were close to 100%, my parents smoked, everybody I looked up to smoked, when I went to a movie the audience around me smoked and stars on screen puffed away. Nobody had any idea how much harm they could cause.
In 1953 or there abouts I left school, a sort of right of passage, you left school and started smoking, that was normal and the accepted thing to do. A year later I went to sea, my salary was £10.12.6 per month (about $US30) + free food + free accommodation + duty free cigarettes. Funny looking back the smokes were one of the employment attractions, a perk that induced men to go to sea.
At that time the signs of war were still evident in Europe, damaged buildings, partly submerged ships in the ports, stretches of water like the Baltic were still mined, some of us never survived, on more than one occasion I never expected to see the end of the day. Looking back if I knew then the harm smokes could do long term would I have stopped? I doubt it, living for the day had its own importance.
In later years more information on smoking became available, often countered by the tobacco companies, you thought about stopping but it was tough so you put it off. As time went by you knew it was doing harm and many reports were telling you it was too late you have smoked too many for too long.
Most of us stop smoking for a reason, mine was seeing a grandson puffing on one of my smokes (unlit) saying he was going to be like Granddad.
At a later date the breathing became poor, it had taken its toll.

[LindaNY]

Interesting article. Most young doctors sure don't know the era we all grew up in.
It is good that Oxford Medical is publishing that. Maybe it will teach the young doctors to have come compassion.

Tod found this commercial from the 50's, saying "More Doctors Smoke Camels" than any other brand.

[larrynz]

Loved that Linda, not long ago every doctor had an ashtray on his desk

[spike99]

Good post larrynz.

Approx 14 months ago, I still remember the look on my young doctor's face. Like some smokers, I went to the doctors 7 different times during a 3 month period. Each time was for breathing problems. Wheezing while sleeping, SOB during physical extercise and simple head colds always turning into walking pnemonia. Yes. I still remember the look on her face - during each of my visits. She said, "I can't really help you until `you help youself`. You know what is killing you. I can't help until you stop". Yes. Very harsh words but she was right. I quit smoking via "cold turkey" on Dec 4 2006 and visited her 3 months later. At that time, she wanted to check my high BP. When I told her I stopped smoking last Dec, she checked the color of my tonque, listed to my lungs and said, "WOW - things are looking and sounding much better". With 3 months as a non-smoker, she NOW showed extreme "high interested" in helping me. You can tell by the look on her face that she was cheering for me. For me to remain an ex-smoker and she was aggressively helping me stay alive.

So yes... I too have experienced the "younger doctors" attitude. The doctors who don't understand how addictive smoking really is and how hard it really is to quit.

.

[LindaNY]

Oh how very right you are, Spike. Isn't it sad?
They just have absolutely no clue.

[Joyce7]

While watching the video, I found the one below about a survey which stated that smoking showed no harmful affects.



Smoking was ingrained in us in so many ways growing up just like drinking bottled water "is good for you" is today. Also, I am concerned about all the sugar substitutes being consumed by everyone these days. When you stop and think about it, if twenty years from now it is found that all of these artificial sweeteners are carcinogens and thousands upon thousands of people start getting stomach cancer from consuming them, is the public going to shun them and say "You did it to yourself." They might. The point being is that what we think is alright to consume today doesn't mean that twenty years from now we will find out that it will kill us. It's sad...Joyce

[larrynz]

Funny you mentioned the water Joyce, only this week the news brings up the "You need 6 glasses a day" myth, now debunked. The artificial sweeteners are already beginning to look dodgy.
I never take the criticism on smoking now and bounce it right back, often it takes them by surprise ;D.