Many years ago, I was a fairly heavy smoker. If you've ever noticed, heavy smokers' fingers are tinted yellow from the smoke. Mine were not because I mostly carried the cigarette in my mouth. I used two to three packs a day. I started as a kid smoking Lucky Strike. I always remembered the ads on my Pop Pop's radio: "More doctors smoke Lucky Strike cigarettes than any other brand! And LSMFT, Lucky Strike means fine tobacco." I did try other brands but kept going back to Lucky Strike. One time, to try to quit smoking or cut back on the amount, I switched to menthols, which I hated! I thought they would force me to quit, but I actually became addicted to them for a few years before going back to Lucky Strike.
Some of my co-workers really got on my case. They said, "You only smoke Lucky Strike because the large red circle on the white pack is the only one you can see in a machine." Although at work, I did not smoke as many as I lit because I would be working on my computer, forgetting about one I had lit and then lighting another.
Then, one day during a dentist visit, my dentist said, "Lenny, I am not telling you to quit smoking because I also smoke, but get it out of your mouth. Carry it in your hand or set it on a brick or something." He explained that there was a white spot inside my lower lip and that within two years, I would have lip cancer. He took one of his tools and traced everywhere, showing me where they would have to cut.
After the visit, outside, I took a cigarette out of the pack and thought about what he said. I said to myself, "Nah!" and put it back into the pack. The rest of that day, I only smoked six cigarettes. Normally, before breakfast, I would smoke three or four cigarettes. I did not smoke any the following day. However, before leaving work, I purchased a new pack. I have about a 50-mile commute each way.
I do not believe in littering, but on the way home, I started to open the new pack, then opened the car window and tossed out the new pack along with my Zippo lighter. I have not had one since. It was in 1974 when I quit. My only regret was tossing the Zippo lighter since they are now highly collectible.
The first thing I noticed was that I had more money and food tasted better. I actually acquired a taste for broccoli. I did help a few others quit. One of the girls with whom I worked told me that she would like to quit. I asked her how much she smoked and calculated her annual cost. At that time, she spent about $200 a year. I then asked her if she had $200 right now to spend on herself, what would she purchase. She told me that there was an antique jelly cabinet that she really liked. I suggested taking a picture of it and pasting it on a can. Every day, she could put the money she would have spent on cigarettes into the can. Later, she became a little upset with me since she saw the money accumulating and started putting double or triple amounts in the can. In a few months, she had her jelly cabinet and stopped smoking! This technique also helped a few other friends.
It is amazing how my lungs have healed over the past 50 years. April 2023, I had some back surgery, and a nurse brought in a spirometer to help keep my lungs clear. It is a device where you put the end of a tube in your mouth and inhale, pulling up balls. It shows how much your lungs can hold. I brought it all the way up, and the nurse said, "I am one-third of your age, and I can't do that." Then she called me a showoff.