VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Simon Fellows]

Yes - I'm afraid I do. Started smoking for a role in a school play of all things at the age of 13 The Monkeys Paw if I recall correctly. The script instructed me to light-up and after I pointed this out the teacher - who was an ardent puffer herself - she said that if I wanted to do that I could. It lead to a very embarrassing dress rehearsal in front of the whole school (including the hard-nuts, who were the ones I was certainly trying to impress) where I coughed my guts up after my second puff. Anyway, my point is can you imagine that happening these days?

I've at least started talking about knocking it on the head - so maybe I'm heading towards taking that first step and coming out of denial. (Any of you giver-up-ers feel free to chime in with any recommendations for doing so)

NOW - how about a bit of a twist to this thread. How many of you old hands have voiced something for one of the tobacco co's (in the days when such a thing was allowed, of course). And would you voice a corporate/industrial narration for them, or anything else for that matter, if approached?

There were 2 threads I'd been meaning to post for a while now - one was the smoking thingie and the other was where we all draw the line morally as far as who we work for. So I might go and start a new thread for that one right now - well, after I've popped outside and had a quick smoke, of course.
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Simon Fellows
http://www.simonfellows.com

[Hart]

[Simon Fellows]

Thanks for the advice, Brian. An addiction to altoids, gum and straws has got to be better than these damn ciggies.
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Simon Fellows
http://www.simonfellows.com

[Debbie]

I started smoking when I was 13 years old (and oh my that was a while ago now!) It was when the Marlboro Man was on tv all the time along with Peter Jackson ads and Winfield, making it all look so relaxing and fun.

I started trying to give up when I was 18.

I tried everything from hypnosis to patches.

This isn't in the right order, but ...

I tried Zyban (Australia) ... I loved it, I felt soooo good. But I broke out in a bright red rash from head to toe after 14 days on them so the Doc said I had to stop taking them! Arrgggg I argued with him and said I wanted to keep taking them because I felt so good on them and had been off the cigs for a week! He said no, I HAD to stop because otherwise I'd die (must have been that I'd die faster than by smoking huh).

I started smoking again.

I got patches ... the pharmacy ran out (it was a weekend and the shops were shut - small town too, one chemist open late, you know ..)

I started smoking again.

I tried nicotine inhalers .... I liked them a lot because they gave me that rush that you generally experience with a smoke.

I don't know what happened with them but,

I started smoking again.

I tried the nicorette chewing gum ... ugggg ewwwwww pllltttttt - fowl -

I started smoking again (yes yes I know, you could put the sfx from above in here now lol)

I tried ... oh hell, you're probably bored to death by now with what I tried ... but know this ... I tried heaps and I thought I'd never be able to do it

THEN

I don't know, something just finally clicked in early November 2005! How cool is that!

Oops, wait - I have had ONE 'cause I found it squashed in my handbag and being the totally addicted smoker that I was/always will be? I HAD to smoke it. OMG I threw up for about an hour! What a great feeling!

So, I guess what I'm saying is "DON'T GIVE UP GIVING UP" because one day, something just clicks.

I'm not saying I don't miss it ... hell I do ... but at the same time, I don't miss constantly thinking about giving up smoking. It was like an obsession and so far I'm free of that.

Oh, and just so you know, from starting smoking to when I have stopped took 28 years.

Have fun!

[Simon Fellows]

Thanks, Debbie,

I've been smoking for 26 years so I've got 2 years to get my act together I suppose. The daunting thing is that, apart from giving up for 6 weeks back in '87 (got promoted in my job, wage increase etc. - celebrated with a cigarette - big mistake!), I've not tried since. I dare say I've got a whole lot of long term psychological addictions to crack as well as the physical ones. But the fact that you succeeded in the end gives me hope.

Thanks again and stay clean.
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Simon Fellows
http://www.simonfellows.com

[Debbie]

You're welcome.

The only advice I offer is "Don't stress" and "don't put pressure on yourself".

If it happens, it happens.

Take care, stay happy!