Smoking Hot

"Do you mind if I smoke?"

"Try la, just once!"

When I was first introduced to social smoking, these were the very first sentences made by my friends. I was tempted to, but never did join them. Tried.. YUCKY! I just can't stand the smell or the taste. So, why the sudden topic? Well, I was reading news online when I came across this article about huge campaigns on "stop smoking". It's ironic that the government allows tobacco being sold in the country and yet have all these campaign going on. Heck, we even have World No Tobacco Day which falls on 31st of May. I quote a reader "If the government really wanted people to stop smoking, they would simply make tobacco an illegal substance". I was thinking to myself, Damn, he is so right!

My life is surrounded by people who smokes; family, friends, patients, etc. The trouble is I don't have the courage to advise them to quit smoking. Why is that so? Coz I can't even get my own family to stop smoking and now I wanna be a heroine and try to make my friends and patients to quit? Imagine what they would say if they knew my own flesh and blood is puffing away like a chimney. I feel like a hypocrite sometimes, telling patients to try to quit.

There was once I was interviewing a patient with lung cancer and the patient has never smoked in his/her life. Maybe there are other social factors involved but he/she was asking how can that be? People who has been smoking for years don't suffer like me? I was speechless. What was I suppose to say? That it was just bad luck? I really do feel sorry for them. Even those who smokes and get admitted to hospitals. Saying, "That's why la, smoke somemore. See, now you suffer!" is not gonna help them. But will being empathetic help? It's really hard to quit. It takes a lot of will power and motivation! This I know coz I have talked to people who actually succeeded in quiting. Support is really important!

Smoking has an increasing trend. People who start smoking are getting younger and younger. It's crazy! What's the use of all the campaigns and smoking clinics? Maybe we are not doing our part to help reduce the numbers. Maybe we have this mentality of "they smoke, they get cancer, their problem la". Maybe people are just too stubborn to quit. Maybe we just don't care. Sad, sad, sad people...

Try to quit smoking, it may just save your life... and others too