I wish my boyfriend didn't put smoking first before anything else. He spends so much money on cigarettes then wonders why he hasn't got any money for other things like birthday cards for loved ones. He didn't even get me a birthday card because he couldn't afford it but he still always seems to have packs of cigarettes that he buys from the store. To make things worse, he has COPD and a bad cough (smoking-related), so he should be self-isolating, but he still goes out to get cigarettes. And I bet that's what a lot of other smokers are doing, smokers who have health conditions or compromised immune systems that should be self-isolating. I will certainly not buy his cigarettes, as I do not want him smoking at all. But each time he goes to light another cigarette he says, "I'm stressed." But in actual fact, his smoking is actually the CAUSE of his stress right now. He can't sleep properly because of his coughing that gets worse when he lies down, but complains about having to sleep upright in a chair. He's at more risk of getting ill from coronavirus which is causing him panic attacks. His COPD is caused by years of heavy smoking. He tells me to be quiet whenever I try to help him quit or even try e-cigarettes, but then yells at me when he can't breathe due to his lungs getting tired from coughing too much.
So whatever I do is wrong. Smoking has really taken over his mind and life, and he is suffering physically and mentally from the bad effects of smoking but won't listen when people are trying to help. I get a good night's sleep in our lovely, comfy bed, because I don't have a self-inflicted cough. (I'd be more sympathetic if his cough was not caused by smoking or he was at least trying to help himself).
I know nicotine is addictive but as a non-smoker I just don't know how it gets to be so addictive. I mean, ingesting toxic chemicals into the lungs is just baffling to me. There are plenty of other harmful habits to abuse your body with, but smoking is the WORST and the most non-essential. Your lungs need you during this crisis, and if you carry on abusing them then you are just putting more strain on the NHS and are actually taking the piss really. Sorry if that sounds harsh to all the smokers here who think that smoking is the cure for stress, but it's just how I feel.
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Female