DR. WALLACE: I'm 19 and have been smoking for more than five years. I started out sneaking one or two cigarettes at a time from my parents, and now for the past two years, I've been smoking two packs a day. I really want to quit smoking because I have a steady cough and I'm starting to have pains in my chest. I don't think it is cancer, but the cost and this pain are really bothering me, along with my conscience. I know deep down that smoking is not good for my health.
If I stopped smoking, when I read your answer to my question here, how long would it take me to completely overcome my nicotine habit? I am sick and tired of this cough, and I've noticed that my clothing reeks of smoke, and I'm always broke since I spend so much money on this terrible habit. I'm serious about ending my cigarette romance. For me, the bloom is decidedly off of the proverbial rose now for sure. — Want to quit, via email
WANT TO QUIT: You are making a wise decision, especially at age 19 before your body is subjected to many future years of smoking. Not only will you feel better when you stop your smoking habit but your financial situation will also be greatly improved.
Smokers typically will start feeling better within two weeks of quitting their smoking habit. Also, the black smoke stain attached to the lining of your lungs will be gone in a matter of months, provided you indeed quit cleanly (that is, you give up smoking 100 percent of the time and don't sneak a smoke here and there). Otherwise, the reversal of the negative effects takes much longer.
I recommend you visit www.smokefree.gov as they have great resources for you to pursue, including five steps to take on your quit day — the day you lock in as your first day without a cigarette as you begin your journey. The quick points are to make a quit plan, stay busy, avoid smoking triggers, stay positive and ask for help. This site provides excellent detail on each of these key points, so check it out and take some time to read up on various links on their website. It's hard to quit smoking but very much worth the effort and difficulty to make a stand to better your health. Let us know via a future email again how your progress is coming along. Good luck and hang in there. You're worth it!
SHE ACTED LIKE I INSULTED HER
DR. WALLACE: My parents are divorced. I live with my mother for one week and then I live with my father and his girlfriend the following week. However, there is a problem I can't get a handle on. My dad's girlfriend is a smoker, and I have asthma. She doesn't smoke in the house, but she smokes in an attached garage. Unfortunately, for me, the smell leaks into the house causing me to cough and wheeze.
I've asked her if she would smoke outside but she acted like I had insulted her, and she continues to smoke in the garage. I've discussed this with my dad, and she says that he is completely fine with her using the garage as a place to smoke. Many times, when she comes back into the house, she brings secondhand smoke with her.
I told my dad that secondhand smoke is a health hazard to all who have to breathe it, but he doesn't believe it and wants proof. When I showed him written proof, he said it was not reliable. Now what should I do? Wheezy, Oklahoma City
WHEEZY: Changing addresses every week is a most unusual situation. Discuss things with your mother and see if it's possible to live with her full time and spend a weekend or two a month with your father. If a court ruled this unusual living arrangement for you, and your father won't allow you to spend more time with your mother, it might be time to seek some legal advice — unless the smoking arrangement is adjusted. You should not be forced to be physically miserable because of poor manners of a smoker. You are entitled to a healthy environment and should not be endangered in your own home.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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