February 7, 201511 yr I talked to a young lady new at work who is a smoker. I scared her by telling her about bad skin, bad breath, wrinkle mouth, bad smell, being the last of the group to quit, being judged as weak , by nonsmokers. She told me she enjoyed it, about gaining weight, quitting when she's 30, being around friends who smoke, smoking to fill time, to not feel awkward. I brought out cancer, chemo, loss of teeth, loss of lung power, cardio wards, addiction, standing out in the rain, the cold, making small talk with strangers. How there may be still time to repair the damage, at 28 years old with 10 years of smoking rather than at 50 with 35 years, like me. We'll see. Someone talked to me like this at work when I was her age but I did not listen
February 7, 201511 yr You should have told her it causes cat-butt mouth :blink: I was a trucking turnip too :wacko:
February 7, 201511 yr You never know, what will stick with a person. When I was sixteen, I thought my dad was the biggest "nut case" around, and had nothing to say, worth my time to listen to. I still find myself, thinking about what he said back then, when I am "wrestling with the devil", and need some guidance/tips. Don't stop beacon, cause you may never know, who you have inspired/influenced. We all have people who, come to us later, sometimes much later, and tell us that what we said or did influenced them, in a positive way. I often don't remember it. I just node and smile.
February 7, 201511 yr She heard you. It may take a while for your words to germinate and bear fruit, but it will happen. You did her a favor. Keep doing what you're doing every time you meet a smoker.
February 7, 201511 yr I never listened either. Hopefully she took at least some of it to heart, if even to come back to and then quit.
February 7, 201511 yr That's how I feel about cat people. Someday they will get it I'm sorry Bakon - did I miss something ?? I'm sure I never heard you say anything about cat people ??
February 7, 201511 yr I didn't listen either...but you only need her to repeat it to someone that it does stick with, or someone overheard or maybe it will resonate with her another day. You are good peoples beacon :)
February 7, 201511 yr You know, I listened but I never cared. But sometimes it takes somebody who cares enough to speak up. For me, my doctor cared enough about me that he didn't care if he hurt my feelings because it needed to be done. He spoke the truth. Not about cancer and all the dangers of smoking, but rather that I was a drug addict and cared more about keeping it alive than anything else. Young people always think they have time so the dangers of smoking often go in one ear and out the other. What sticks with young people are how stupid they really are by smoking and how stupid and unattractive they look. How they stink worse than poo and how their skin looks gray. Tell a young female that her skin looks gray and her color is horrible and if she says I wonder why, point to the almighty cigarette controlling her life. All that money spent on fancy hair products is down the drain as the stench of stale smoke fills the air, all of which is coming from her hair. Tell her that her hair is stinking up the office. lol Not really but it's probably true.
February 7, 201511 yr Hope she went away ,and gave it a lot of thought....it's true...sometimes it just takes that one thing to make a difference...
February 7, 201511 yr I once had the very same reasons as her, what worked for me is finally being shown presents no relief except from the symptoms it causes. That and finding a group of people who are thrilled about not smoking
February 7, 201511 yr when the student is ready....the teacher appears. We have no way of knowing when that time is so it's best to keep sharing your thoughts and experiences...not to shove down anyone's throat but, you never know when someone is ready to listen.
February 7, 201511 yr quiting smoking and church...always time later in life for each, that's what we all thought. Greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.....
February 8, 201511 yr nobody listens- people are turnips, us included I'm a Rutabaga! Easy Peasy I wanna say something about deja vu, but I hate repeating myself...
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