‘It cost a fortune bu
It costs him £400 a month, gives him a hacking cough, urns his teeth yellow - and co with a multitude of serious lth risks. But reporter Sam Lenn n just can’t kick the habit. Now, after last week’s No Smoking Da , he tells of his struggles to quit after f
It’s like the madness of bashing your head against a brick wall and each time hoping for a different result. The gross coughs in the morning, the shortness of breath, the staggering costs, the sapping of quality of life and the risk of an early demise.
And there’s also the social leprosy in the eyes of some.
Yet still I puff about 30 cigarettes a day, a habit I have had since the 1980s.
So why such a kamikaze lifestyle?
Well, why do alcoholics keep pickling their liver? Why do heroin users keep shooting up? What I have in common with these people is pure addiction. The only difference is mine doesn’t involve making a fool of myself, or being arrested for being disorderly. Neither do I have to pay for the habit by breaking into houses or stealing from cars.
No, you can pay within the law, whatever the cost.
I turned pale when my gas bill was £300 for one month this winter. But I haven’t flinched at paying £400 a month for cigarettes - cheaper brands are just under £10 for a packet of 20.
Most people start by their late teens and while they are young their bodies are strong enough to cope. At that age cancer and heart disease are problems that may or may not happen for decades and the excuse anyway is: “You’ve got to die of something.” Actually it can happen sooner than you think. The actor John Cazale (from The Godfather and The Deer Hunter) was a smoker and died of lung cancer aged 42. The same happened to Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys at the age of 51.
So why do I carry on playing Russian roulette?
It’s a cycle that in all this time I have not been able to break.