Twenty-a-day habit leaves Mark breathless for life
Wednesday 11th March 2009, 2:29PM GMT.
A LIFETIME of smoking has left one man with a deteriorating lung condition which will significantly shorten his life.
Mark Cresswell, 42 (pictured), has been diagnosed with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following a habit of up to 20 a day since the age of 14.
With just 41% lung capacity, he is permanently breathless and is on a cocktail of prescribed drugs.
‘I have knocked a huge chunk off my life. I read the warnings and I saw the pictures on cigarette packets but I took a blase approach and this is the result,’ he said.
Mr Cresswell has a 17-year-old daughter, Amy, and lives with his fiancee, Liesma Saleniece, 42, and the younger of her two children, 13-year-old Gita.
Life changed forever on 16 December last year when he suffered a massive asthma attack in his sleep. He stopped breathing and was rushed to hospital, where he remained for five days.
Initially diagnosed with chronic asthma – a condition he suffered from as a child but had grown out of – he was referred to a specialist at the end of January.
When his breathing failed to improve, he was readmitted to hospital for three weeks and diagnosed with the disease.
‘When I found out it was like someone had ripped my heart out. It was devastating,’ he said.
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Sorry, but with respect you’re not the only person to suffer from this disease….
Why go to the papers? 1 of my family members was diagnosed with this 10 years ago and they didn’t announce it to the world!
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I hope the following may be of some value to smokers.
First, though, I offer my understanding and commisserations to Mark, and yes, smokers and non-smokers alike are very aware of the health dangers of smoking tobacco but even though some strong-willed smokers have been able to quit, others have not even though they want to. As we all know it’s because cigarettes are full of an addictive drug, namely nicotine, and it’s a beast of a drug.
What many smokers such as Mark may not know though is that major cigarette manufacturers have for many years secretly increasd the nicotine drug content of cigarettes to ensure that once you have had tried just one cigarette you are, for the most park, ‘hooked’ which, as an aside, bodes ill for todays younger generation and also indeed bodes ill for every smoker.
The revelation that major tobacco companies have been quietly increasing the nicotine content in some brands came to light after three USA States created a law forcing tobacco companies to report the complete content of their manufactured cigarettes on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, those major cigarette manufacturing companies had to report to the three USA States only once every ten years which is too long a period between reports in my opinion. Nevertheless at the end of the ten year period it was revealed that those major tobacco companies had secretly increased the nicotine drug content of their major brand cigarettes by (if I recollect correctly) a huge 20% which, in my opinion is obscenely disgusting as that is a indeed lot of extra addictive drug, one that is more powerful than heroin, to be secretly pumping into a smokers body.
That these companies and their executives have done this – and have been allowed even to get away with doing this speaks volumes for our civilisation and our commerce doesn’t it. But we can beat them at their own game, and I am doing it. Here’s how……….
First I made it a rule never to smoke inside my house, car, a restaurant etc. I have smoked only outside and I never smoke close to another human being.
For 55 years I smoked a pack to a pack and a half a day, mostly filter ‘light’ cigarettes and two years ago tried to quit cold turkey. I discovered quite quickly, and I accepted the fact, that I was not a ‘cold turkey’ quitter. Even hypnosis and ‘nicotine gum’ failed me. I never even tried the ‘patch’ because by then I had recognised my nature. I knew I would have to quit ‘gradually’.
Cutting down by half was easy. I did not make a big deal of my intention to lessen my ‘smoking’ intake. I told no one. I kept it to myself. I simply ‘did it’. First I did it by simply smoking one cigarette each time instead of two after which I doggedly forced my feet to walk back into our house after the first cigarette.
I also deliberately left my cigarettes at home whenever I went out, even for hours at a time. In the beginning there were hellish moments I can asure you where after a couple of hours, sometimes three, I was hot to trot to get back home for a smoke and was becoming impatient at the delay. But I persisted because I knew I must. And guess what? Gradually doing without when I was away from home became a habit to such an extent that I eventually did it automatically! ONE DOES BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO IT I ASSURE YOU because what you are doing is simply replacing one habit with another, but now a good habit! And I did it quietly, thats the trick, with no fanfare, telling no one.
I got down to fifteen a day at which time I hit the wall. For a while couldn’t get that fifteen figure any lower but I thought about it and it dawned upon me that I didn’t need to smoke a full cigarette! A half a cigarette would do! And it worked!! I remember that was admittedly excited at realising this! Each time I ‘lit up’ I’d ensure that I concentrated on nothing else but the cigarette so that I would remember having smoked the half and then I’d put it out and left it balancing in the ashtray and came back to it at a later time when I wanted a smoke and I smoked the other half.
Doing this has worked admirably. Please try it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I’m now down from a pack to a pack and a half a day to 6.5 cigarettes per 24 hours. I’m estatic! Never thought I could do it! My wife is estatic too, so are my sons, my daughter and Grandkids none of whom smoke by the way. Indeed they know that I have a dogged nature, but they never thought It would ever apply to ‘smoking’!
And you know what? Half a cigarette at a time has become a regular ‘habit’. That is the ‘trick’ of it. Don’t stress yourself out with huge cut-downs. Just make gradual lessening a habit until gradually your new habit becomes a habit. In other words, easy does it, and know you can always have a smoke….if you want to.
Now, 6 months later, I don’t need anymore than a half a cigarette now and again. I did it over time without any stress and without becoming an ogre to anyone. I think what helped me too was the knowledge that I could always have a smoke IF I WANTED TO which most times now I don’t.
I also know that I will need even less than 6.5 smokes each 24 hours during the coming weeks and I know that I will continue to cut down – nice and easy, slowly, no seat, until I’m at zero.
I hope any smoker will give the above a try, I know you will, you’ll be glad you did and will eventually show those big shot tobacco what they can do with their added nicotine.
Thank you for reading this.
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This should act as a very strong message to others who smoke.
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Expat I think it was to let other people know how stupid it is to smoke.
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Personally I hope he sues the legalised drug dealers.
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An Expat, I can’t read Mark’s mind, but I think he’s just sending out a message for others to beware and to learn from his mistakes. I would imagine he’s not trumpeting it to the world for any personal gratification. I too have lost relatives to this dreadful disease, as have most people. Mark’s just using the media to do his bit to warn people, as it’s too late for him.
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Hey Mark, its your little Bro here,
Whilst we will continue to support you in everything you do, we must thank you for being brave enough to go to the media. On behalf of me and Vicky we wish you all the best.
Nick
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I believe the man has been rather brave. I’m sure he did it for all the right reasons.
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Well I for one think those who criticize him should be ashamed, at the same time . say THANK GOODNESS IT ISN’T ME.
Now I say this because in 2000 I was diagnosed having Myasthenia Gravis, it is the name given to this affair of gasping for breath, they of course brought on Asthma. anemia, bronchitis and COLS, for good measure.
Since then I have to use and inhaler, three times a day. plus various pills and tablets, injections and what not. at one time I took 30 tablets a day plus inhaler.
It was my own fault I refused to give up smoking. I have done so now in fact in 2000.
But please no recriminations to the man; he is suffering enough. and it will go on.
But take cheer me old son it does get better; oh not like you were before, that’s over and out. but it will ease off, you’ll get used to the drugs and inhaling, it becomes part and parcel of daily life.
Now this past year I’ve been in hospital many times, mostly check-ups. It’s going along nicely now.l I can’t run a hundred yards, well I couldn’t since I broke my leg, but take cheer, it’s not the end, so long as you have will power it’s get easier.
To those who criticise the man thank your lucky stars it isn’t you-.
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No Eric I don’t have to thank my lucky stars that it’s not me because I stopped smoking many years ago. That dosen’t mean I’m critical of Mark either!.
Who I am critcal of are all those people who have undermined the campiagn to get the message across of just how dangerous smoking is.
The so called freedom of choice lobby (encouraged by the tobbaco companys)who have attacked the health message on smoking as an attack by health facists on smokers rights.
How many other people will end up like Mark because they have listened to the freedom of choice lobby’s distortions of the health message.
Smoking is not just a matter of life and death it’s also a matter of long drawn out debillitating illness’s where the consequences of the pleasure of smoking come home to roost with a vengence.
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i stopped smoking 15 years ago I was on 50 a day at the time, I used patches for a month then went cold turkey if I can do it anyone can. All I can say is sorry Mark it has happened to you, good luck keep you’re chin up.
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Hi Mark
So sorry to hear you are ill, thinking of you and your family and wishing you all the best, hopefully you have made smokers stop and think.
Nicky
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Good on you Mark for going to the media. You are very brave and i hope you can recover well enough to at least be comfortable – but remember it could have been worse, a lot worse.
Hopefully your message will get across to others out there who disregard the warnings and continue to smoke. Lets hope that Amys health will be okay too. Its not just the individual smoker that is at risk but the health of their children and those around them too.
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Dont blame the person…blame the fag companys……
My mum died of cancer caused soley by smoking. For 30 years we tried to get her to give up. She gave up on going into hospital before she knew she had cancer. Cigarettes are full of crap that messes with your brain to make you think you will be fine. The addictive properties work against you unless you can break the chain. On her death bed she wished that everyone could see her condition PURELY-to get everyone to quit. The stupid thing is….even people who see people in that condition still continue to smoke.
Cigarettes are life stealers, wether just prematurley age you, cut your life short or kill you.
She said they were stupid evil things that should be outlawed in the island and not just banned from being smoked indoors.
I hope the States do something radical like they can do and actually try banning them…..hike up huge fines for people caught bringing them in…..that would make up some short fall!
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Hi Mark,
Very sorry to hear of your chronic lung disease and I sincerely hope you get well.
I’m 45 and like you have smoked since the age 14 and probably consume about 36 a day instead of 26 a day now the draconian smoking ban makes us want more (as the ban has done worldwide). I have a small cough but no ailments in fact like most smokers I’m as fit and healthy as a non-smokers.
Your ailments causes are uncertain and what is patent from medical science is there are many factors leading to lung diseases such as lung cancer. For example a non-smoker has a 4 in 100,000 risk of lung cancer while smokers have a 14 in 100,000 lifetime chance.
So your risk as a smoker is 4 times higher than a non-smoker but that risk is still statistically insignificant (ie. less than 1/10th of 1%).
Indeed while smokers have some increased risks like these it is non-smokers that actually suffer from more diseases. Something about smoking kicks off your immunity system and protects you from other ailments.
Another piece of propoganda contained in this article peddles the fallacy passive smoke is a danger to children. Many studies on passive show demonstrate there is no danger to spouses or children of smoking parents including the Enstrom & Kabat Study the longest (36 years) medical study ever conducted.
The Enstrom & Kabat and the ‘buried’ UN WHO studies both demonstrated no incidence of increased disease in children of smokers. In fact the only statistical matter of any significance from both studies was increased immunity amoung children of smokers. Again it may be because smokey air kicks the immune system to work at a slightly higher level than clean air.
Much research, info and medical studies can be found at
http://www.freedom2choose.info/
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Here we go again JohnnyB the usual tobbaco company propaganda. My father and his generation didn’t stand a chance as they were told smoking was good for them. A lifetime of smoking conributed to his death.
The freedom to choose depends on people getting the right information of the consequences of smoking which the tobbaco companys have tried hard to denign them for decades.
Don’t smoke!, the pleasure of smoking is just feeling normal just as nonesmokers feel all the time but without the costs in money, health and very possibly your life!.
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Ah JohnnyB
With that post and your rubbishing of human causes of overinflated CO2 acidifying the oceans and trapping solar heat, you must feel like a martyr of the true and the just.
I would consider where you get your data from, who it’s supplied by and with whose backing.
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Hey JohnnyB, i agree – you can choose to smoke if you want to. You have to remember that its a ban on “advertising” not smoking. So i dont see why you are so upset. The only thing you are getting emotional about is that you are becoming a minority. The less people that smoke- the more “alone” in your addiction you will become.
There is a theory supporting every belief these days. You can believe that you are a witch, or that the sun is causing global warming or that evolution is a fantasy. Its just that “most” of the evidence speaks to differ. And you may just up and down saying that 1% of independant studies found that smoking was okay. But if 99% say otherwise then unless i am absolutely desperate to smoke then i will er on the side of safety. That is my choice.
So choose to smoke, noone is stopping you, just dont shove your addiction in other peoples faces -because that is what it is – an addiction.
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Anyone who still smokes after all that has been learned about it needs their head examining.
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Pete, Fast Robert and Wil,
Firstly I’m all for not “shoving my habit in others faces”. Would you mind if Pub, Club and restaraunt owners allowed smokers smoking areas, you know on their property, without the State shoving their biggoted attitudes down with an all out ban?
Strangely before the biggoted smoking ban non-smoking pubs and clubs either went bankrupt or ‘liberlaised’ their non-smoking policies. People given freedom still chose smoking venues. Remember those days, it was called democracy and alloowing the free market to decide. It worked. The States policy doesn’t. It’s a new insipid social apartheid.
Regards the health aspects don’t believe the propaganda. The studies are long and many, anytime you care to check them out be my guest. Wether its passive smoking (zero health effects) or smoking itself (some increased risks, some decreased) its time you got clued up who’s telling the truth.
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