Recently I suggested to someone a means by which they could give up smoking cigarettes. This woman was standing outside her friend’s home while everyone else was inside enjoying their coffee and chocolates. We were exchanging shouted pleasantries with the woman on the outside and the conversation revolved around how difficult it is to quit smoking. I told her that I had cut a white pen down to cigarette size and ‘smoked’ the pen until I had rid myself of the habit of smoking. I had discovered from previous attempts that the actual nicotine addiction passes (with some difficulty, especially to other members of the household!) in about three days, but it is the habit that is so terribly difficult to break.This woman asked me how long it took me to finally give up my pen and I told her it was around six months. She laughed and said how ridiculous I must have looked to smoke a pen for six months. Ridiculous! Hmmm, ridiculous, yes. But it is not ridiculous to have shouting conversations with your friends because you absolutely HAVE to be outside, even in the freezing cold, while your friends are warm and cozy, because you HAVE to draw poisonous smoke into your lungs every half an hour or so. Not ridiculous to hand over up to $80.00 per week to a multinational tobacco company, who in turn will give you some cardboard, paper, chemicals, and a weed, which you will in turn set on fire and breath in the noxious fumes. Not ridiculous to befoul your room, house, car, clothes, hair, skin, teeth with this toxic substance, let alone your precious lungs, heart and vascular system. Not ridiculous to slowly drown in the poisoned fluids your lungs will gradually produce because they no longer can function.I know how hard it is to rid yourself of this terrible habit. I know the government pays lip service to helping you because they want to reap the profits from your pain and suffering. I know how many billions the tobacco companies make out of your addiction each year. I know how it feels to wonder if there is a life of any kind without smoking! But don’t give up trying, and don’t ridicule what you haven’t tried. It may just be your answer.