LIFE IS THE BEST TEACHER it is said, so when writing about addiction, I write from experience. I would like to elaborate for those who may be interested and tell my true life tale of the battle against and the victory over the dreaded ‘Coughin’ Nail’.

Although suffering from bronchitis from early childhood, I began smoking at 15 (very intelligent) and continued to puff the fags for the next 30 years. At age 45, I was a supervisor in the coal mining industry, which required mining staff to have a medical every couple of years.

At my bi-annual checkup on 6th October 1990, the doctor politely informed me that there would be no use my coming back for more checkups in the future for if I continued smoking I would be very lucky to live another 5 years. I was not that surprised at his evaluation – but something happened inside of me – a decision was made that at the time I did not realize.

I smoked and drank heavily over that weekend and on the Sunday night; I said to my boss, “This is the last cigarette I will ever smoke.” He was a heavy built man who chain smoked and his big belly started to violently vibrate as he shrugged me off with a mighty ‘Haw Haw, Right’, that’ll be the day!

On Monday October 9^th 1990 when I went to work I stopped smoking. I did not suffer from withdrawal symptoms, no crankiness, no hypertension, no frequent patting of the shirt pocket, no impatience, no nothing. That was over 23 years ago.

In hindsight, I now realize that what happened at the doctors surgery was that to save my life, something other than ‘me’ had removed that addictive craving for nicotine from memory, so I had no reference, no pleasurable memory for my ego to dwell on, so no will power was needed. I was immediately and thereafter a non-smoker…

Dan’s Quote: “In truth, ‘imperfection’ merely means ‘incompletion.”~ CWG