Smoking is social.
So smoking is a social activity, is it?
If this were true, then the 82% of Québec’s population who don’t smoke must be very lonely people who never go to parties?
Obviously that’s not the case … but it’s easy to see why you might think it is :
- When you're addicted to cigarettes, you inevitably begin to associate cigarettes with everything you do in life, and especially with your social life and the things you enjoy.
- Over the last century, the tobacco companies have spent a fortune to make sure people associate their products with the nice things in life, such as going out with friends
As you’re no doubt aware, there are very few places left where people are free to smoke (it would probably be more accurate to say “where people who are prisoners of cigarettes are allowed to smoke them”), or at least, where they feel comfortable smoking. And you’d be the first to admit that there are other ways of socializing and enjoying yourself when you go out.
When you’re a non-smoker again, don’t underestimate the power that your addiction will still have over you.
Here are a few tips to help you quit and enjoy your evenings without your cigarettes.
- Ask your friends who are smokers if they’d agree to keep their cigarettes in their pockets (where you can’t see them).
- Always keep a bottle of water and your NS kit handy.
- Keep your hands occupied with a pencil or other object.
- Put a straw or toothpick in your mouth, or eat a stick of celery or a carrot.
- Get moving, or go for a walk with a non-smoker.
You’ll be proud of being able to meet your friends without resorting to cigarettes. |
