Addiction

Phones Are the New Smoking

I’m honestly not sure which is more harmful

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Do you ever feel shocked when you watch an old movie or a period piece and see people casually smoking everywhere?

I hardly ever see people smoking in real life anymore. You probably don’t, either. This is one of the more dramatic shifts in social norms I’ve experienced in my lifetime.

We don’t need cigarettes anymore. We have phones.

For decades, I struggled to give up cigarettes. Smoking was a small indulgence that I could have whenever I needed it. Even now, when I see a magnificent balcony, I think, “That would be a great place to indulge in a smoke.”

Several times, I managed to quit for many years at a time. But the cravings never went away. I just managed to white-knuckle myself through them because I didn’t want to die of lung cancer like my mother did. I didn’t want to expose my children to smoke or set a bad example, either.

I thought the cravings would last forever, and was surprised when one day I suddenly lost the impulse and quit, instantly and easily. I finished the last cigarette in the pack and thought, “I’m done.” The realization that I didn’t want to ever smoke again came out of the blue.