MARK ALEXANDER: It is precisely four and a half years ago today that I smoked my last cigarette. Even though I am in no way an anti-smoker—each to his own is my motto re smoking—I am rather proud of my accomplishment.
Do I miss smoking? No, not really. But I do have very fond memories of the pleasurable times I had whilst being a smoker. In fact, I derived an enormous amount of pleasure from a fine cigarette. A cigarette with fresh coffee in the morning, or a cigarette after lunch, or with a glass of Scotch whisky before dinner, and with a coffee or drink after dinner, are irreplaceable. So, when one quits, one just has to learn to live without those joyous sticks of endless pleasure. 😊
If anybody wishes to quit smoking, you need to psych yourself up for Q-day, be very determined to succeed, and go for it. It can be done. I am living proof of it. I used to smoke a pack a day for most of my adult life which, when I was growing up, was not considered heavy smoking at all. These days, they categorize twenty cigarettes a day as heavy smoking. That, to me, is nonsense! It’s crazy! When I was growing up, many men smoked thirty, forty, and exceptionally even sixty cigarettes a day. Now THAT is heavy smoking! 😊 But this is, after all, the age of the snowflake, so we can’t expect anything else, I suppose.
On April 10, 2027, I will have been an ex-smoker for FIVE whole years. Just thought some of you might like to know.
Mark Alexander
