Korean Job Discussion Forums

[richardlang]

I picked up smoking last year around this time. A year goes by and I've been smoking full-force since then. I know it's bad, a crutch, an addiction, but an actual Choice. I'm not one who says I can't, or don't have the choice to, stop.

I didn't used to smoke, and I once reviled it even. Cigarettes are so cheap here. I got started by feeling stressed and so I decided to try smoking. I've been hiding it from my girlfriend for about 11 months. I know I'm being dishonest with her. I have qualms about it. I air out my apartment every day. Yes, I've gotten to the point where I no longer step outside for a cigarette. I smoke about a pack a day.

How do you smokers think about your smoking?

[eIn07912]

You're not really hiding it from your girlfriend. She knows. Women know a lot more about us than they let on. Trust me, she knows. She's not saying anything because it's your choice, you don't have to clear things with her and, if she's Korean, it's not really a big deal because men smoking in her culture is just the way things are. So don't think you're hiding it from her. If you've been dating for a 11 months or so, there's not much of anything you're hiding from your girlfriend. Women are pretty smart creatures who are pretty perceptive about things.

I get what you're talking about about being stressed and picking it up. I smoked off and on since I was 15. I had been quit for a number of years once I moved to Korea and then started picking it up again. It's just so easy to do here. It's cheap. They're everywhere. Everyone smokes. And the environment is friendly for it. Unlike parts of America or Canada where people will get in your face about it. I got serious about getting healthy a while back and cut out my smoking. Not all at once. Just little by little. I was never a heavy smoker, at most I had 3 or 4 a day. Then I dropped to 2 a day. Then just that 1 first thing in the morning. Before I knew it, I didn't need one at all. Sure I get cravings every now and then. But if I find something else to put my mind on, I was fine. Later I found I'd smoke just because I was bored and had nothing else to do.

I have heard of a smokers support group for foreigners here. Try a google or Dave's search to find them. Except for the hardcore drugs like heroin or crack, all addictions are mental. Convince yourself that it's because you "want" it, not that you "need" it and you can move on. Also, try filling the void with other things. Go for a run, do some push ups. Smoking is a form of release, which is why we feel relaxed after or why we do it when we're stressed. Find another way to release tension and stress and that can be of great help.

Good luck. If it helps, google some images of smokers lungs and know that's what you're doing to your body. Also remember, smoking is the number one killer of, not only Americans, but people world wide.

[furtakk]

i only really smoke when i go out and once in awhile after a really nice meal with coffee or something. i go days without smoking and then i'll have a night out and smoke an entire pack that night. it's pretty bad.

i don't think too much about my smoking. i'm not a heavy smoker by any means and i know it's something i'll easy give up when i go home (no smoking in clubs/bars = no point).

[I'm no Picasso]

[mongolian spot]

Im just waiting for my next smoke-related illness to quit.

[ppcg4]

I agree with eIn. She definitely knows. I used to use listerine, full shower, cologne, and everything, and my girl always knew. Non-smokers can smell (and taste) it even like 8 hours after you've smoked.

I am in the exact same situation as you. There is cancer all over my family, and I am sure to increase my chanced by smoking. It's a simple fact. I've tried twice to quit, but I still smoke. I've cut down a couple of weeks ago. I was down to one a day. At that point it just seemed ridiculous to have one smoke, because it was clearly out of habit.

I found that Allen Carr's "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" was a great way to change your idea about smoking. If you can find the audiobook somewhere, I recommend giving it a try.

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5097340/The_Easy_Way_(Easyway)_To_Stop_Smoking_-_Allen_Carr

You really need to get it into your mind that you'll never smoke again - not just have one once in a while. That was my pitfall. I even stopped buying them so I had to trouble others for a smoke, which became very annoying to them after a while, and really discouraged me from smoking. Yet, I bought a pack the other day, and I've been smoking them almost as regularly as before.

It's not the nicotine addiction that makes us smoke, it's the habit.

[PRagic]

Smoke a cigar, a good cigar, a few times a week. Cut down on the cigs naturally until you can cold turkey off.

[BobbyOrr]

[furtakk]

[sqrlnutz123]

I don't know if they have this in Korea, but it might be worth looking into:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnmuptstNYU

[sarahsiobhan]

The point about how non-smokers (like myself) can actually taste it when kissing others is very true, and frankly it's disgusting. I used to be a member of a dinner theatre company, and in one of our plays I had to kiss a really good friend of mine who was a smoker. Since we were friends, I tried to explain how gross it was kissing him because of the smoking, and would he at least brush really well before the show? He thought I was exaggerating, and sure enough, that night on stage.....ashtray mouth. Horrid.

I decided he needed to TRULY understand how unpleasant it can be when kissing someone with an overpowering 'flavour', for lack of a better word. So, the next night before the show, I ate about 6 cloves of pickled garlic.

He took the hint.

[Pwillig]

I feel you, before I came here, I'd smoke maybe 6 cigarettes a week - usually while driving home from work. When I got here, I was going through 4-5 a day and double that when I would drink.

What's helped me stop has been my girlfriend taking a zero-tolerance policy on smoking, and I've started running again. Feeling your lungs in actual pain goes a long way to wake yourself up.

[redaxe]

You have to stop making excuses to smoke. The excuses smokers make to justify it are just unbelievable. You have to recognize when you're making an excuse and be honest with yourself about it. And when you decide to quit, you have to quit now--not next week, not after you finish this pack--now.

Also, don't get drunk. It's SO easy to pick smoking back up again when you're drunk because alcohol just melts your willpower and ability to say no.

[DWAEJIMORIGUKBAP]

[redaxe]