During the one of the "stop smoking clinics" in St Paul, MN numerous participants admitted to going through garbage cans, ashtrays, and gutters looking for butts that still had a few puffs left. To them, it is sick to think that they ever performed such a grotesque act, but many realize that if they were currently smoking and again caught in a similar predicament, they would be fully capable of repeating the repulsive incident.

If you ask almost any current smoker why she continues to smoking they will normally reply, "Because I like smoking." While that person may say this in all honesty, it is a very misleading statement, both to the listener and to the smoker

One smoker once stated that they had a burning sensation in their lungs. They thought they had lung cancer. They stated that they weren’t scared, surprised, or even upset. In fact they were actually happy. They hoped that their wish of “finally having cancer” came true. This unusual statement was made by a clinic participant on their fourth day without smoking. While it sounds like the makings of a severely depressed or mentally ill person, in fact various test proved that there was nothing mental wrong with them, and the smoker was smiling and laughing when they said it. To tell a smoker the truth about his cigarettes while he still is in the midst of the smoker's psyche results in a state of denial and defiance.

The longer an individual smokes, the more dependent the smoker becomes on their “fix”. They say that this “fix” makes them feel alert, energetic, or maybe even had a calming, relaxing effect. It helped in studying and in learning. Sometimes it made them feel more mature, confident, and more social. It pretty much did whatever they wanted, or needed, depending on the circumstances surrounding the smoker

Many Smokers believe they continue to smoke because of their self-destructive attitude. They actually want to get sick. Some may say they are afraid of reaching old age. Others swear to continue smoking until it kills them. While some people do have emotional problems which lead to self-destructive behavior. Most make these statements to hide their fears of not being able to give up cigarette smoking. Clinic participants who smoke occasionally state that they just didn't care enough about themselves to give up cigarettes. Unfortunately, some were later diagnosed of having cancer. Others have had heart attacks, strokes or other circulatory conditions. Many were discovered to have major breathing impairments from emphysema. On the contrary, they were normally upset, scared and depressed. Not only did they have a potentially deadly condition, but they knew that they were responsible for a large part of the problem.

Some topics in this essay:
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