Suicide on the installment plan

Hell week and heck week....over :) Im a non-smoker. That smells of sweet-pea lotion with undertones of the spaghetti I ate for breakfast :) I read an interesting article ( www.thebeggarsbakery.net ) called Skewer the Stigma: In the wake of losing a star (Phillip Hoffman) It was a good read, and while it doesn't deal with nicotine specifically, I wondered how different it really is?? I would be willing to bet that the average smoker (or even the average person who has quit) would bristle at being compared to a heroin addict. On the surface, they do look very different: At the height of my addiction to alcohol and cocaine, death appeared imminent. It was impossible to hide my addiction....whereas I could easily be a closet smoker if I had wanted to and the majority of the damage I would cause would be to myself. Not so with other addictions. They will take the family and friends who love you, and bring them to their knees, empty their bank accounts and steal a normal life from them. Nicotine is no less damaging. Its just hidden better than the ravages of heroin or oxycontin. At first. ALL of it is suicide on the installment plan.......some plans just have a shorter installment plan than others. Smoking is suicide on an installment plan. And its an ugly death that ravages peoples bodies. I know....Ive seen it first hand. More than once. Im happy to be smoke free today. 2 weeks in. My mindset has changed. One cannot undo awareness.....I cannot go backwards. I cant unlearn the things Ive learned. I cannot convert the truths back into a lie and believe them. Im thankful for that.