You MUST Stop Smoking

Confession time: I smoked, on and off, for 30 years. I lost around 10 teeth as a result and I think myself lucky to have 'got away with it'.

Smoking kills. Make no mistake. If you speak to any smoker, they want to or are thinking of quitting. The reason for this is fairly simple. They know that smoking is not good for them. It makes them smell, gives them bad breath, is expensive and causes untold damage to their lungs and other vital organs. It also causes depression and other untold misery.

Look, I am not going to go on. There's plenty of documentation out there about the dangers of smoking and that is why most Western governments are now putting work and public place bans on smoking.

Smoking is not good for you. In fact, if governments spent 100% of the revenue received from the excise duties raised from the sale of tobacco products, on the re-education of smokers, instead of the 0.5% (yes, 1/200th) currently spent, then there would be no need for me to be spouting this message. People would be educated, even brainwashed, about the evils of smoking. However, the truth of the matter is that various governments around the world have been 'bought' by the tobacco lobby and not only have they become 'addicted' to the lobbyist donations (or bribes), they have also become 'addicted' to the revenues that tobacco produces for the general coffers. So, the answer lies with you my friend and it is fairly simple...

If you don't smoke, don't start.

If you do smoke, find a way to stop.

By the way, after smoking on and off for 30 years, I had a ?1,000 bet with a friend that the next one of us to light up, after an agreed date, would pay ?1,000 to charity. That one simple strategy stopped us both smoking there and then (and we have both saved enough to afford the ?1,000 donation, but we have not started again). But that's just one strategy, it worked for us. Try it. Try anything. But whatever you do: STOP SMOKING (or don't start).

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